By Will Thompson | Lead Communications Officer
Hello EcoEnergy Family!
I hope this message finds you well! We are writing to you today to paint a picture of the current energy and economic climate in Pakistan and to explain how we are advocating for and implementing the use of innovative methods to improve the lives of thousands of the working poor in the country.
Pakistan is in the midst of a severe and explosive energy crisis- 40% of the total population lacks access to electricity. The majority are poor and live in rural areas or villages. Lack of electricity pushes them further into poverty by limiting their income-generating, educational, and social opportunities, as well as posing significant health risks. We, at EcoEnergy, address this need by providing electricity so that children can study at night, poor farmers can safeguard their livestock, craftspeople can work longer and they can all feel safer from snakes, theft and violence. We believe that financial inclusion is the future of Pakistan and we are seeking to provide a spark to the process.
This past year we have been very busy working to meet our goals of energy availability and poverty alleviation for the rural Pakistani. In February, EEF was awarded the National Geographic Society's Great Energy Challenge Award, a grant that will impact 18,000 people with clean energy solutions. In May EEF’s Resource Mobilization Director, Maliha Cheema, represented EEF at the Sustainable Energy for All Conference at the U.N. in New York. EEF Chief Operations Officer, Jeremy Higgs, was then invited to be a panelist at the International Conference Renewable Energy and the Environment in Indonesia. Furthermore, in June, EEF was featured in the Huffington Post for the lessons learned from Pakistan’s solar market and in July we were featured in United Nation’s Foundation blog and Newsletter. As a result of our hard work and dedication, this August, EEF was awarded a capacity building grant from the Clif Bar Family Foundation for our energy hub project. Just this week, we were featured in an article on Ozy.com, a daily social change publication, showcasing our CEO, Shazia Khan’s progressive approach to poverty alleviation in South Asia. We are extremely proud of the advocacy work we have accomplished this year but we know that unless we can provide the tools to build up local economies, it will be for not.
On the ground, in 2014 we provided over 4000 solar lanterns to households in rural Pakistan and have helped change the lives of over 16000 individuals. We have visited thousands of villages and have gained valuable insight into how to help these individuals to empower themselves. We are continuing our innovative work on micro-grids, solar home systems and rural solar mobile charging stations. In this effort, we have initiated a project to set up mobile charging hubs across various villages and are seeking a total of $20,000 to establish a total of 100 village-level mobile charging hubs, which will impact approximately 12,000 additional people.
The idea that financial inclusion is the future is no more apparent than in this region. We believe that by offering microfinance and access to mobile technology, we can empower thousands to get ahead in life. With your help, we can help to provide economic stimulus to areas in Pakistan that are in dire need.
Please feel free to contact us if you would like to make a donation or have any questions. Thank you!
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