d.light, a company specializing in solar products and affordable finance for low-income households, has secured $3.4 million grant from Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and Energising Development (EnDev) to offer 10,000 subsidized solar home systems to refugees in Northern and Western Uganda’s refugee camps.
These units are part of a broader effort to provide 23,000 solar home systems to Ugandan refugee communities that have escaped conflict in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Douglas Gavala, d.light’s Managing Director for Uganda, expressed that the grant allows them to expand their essential work in enhancing living conditions for underserved refugee communities from countries like South Sudan and the DRC who are residing in Ugandan refugee camps.
Globally, 675 million people lack electricity, and approximately 2.3 billion individuals do not have access to clean cooking facilities, significantly impacting livelihoods and the environment. d.light’s solar solutions aim to address this issue by making clean energy products accessible and affordable worldwide, envisioning a future where affordable energy benefits everyone and uplifts communities.
The project, which commenced in April and is set to operate for 12 months, utilizes results-based financing (RBF), ensuring that d.light receives funding only upon the installation of solar home systems. Each d.light solar home system comes equipped with three high-efficiency LED lights, an FM radio with MP3 playback, mobile phone charging capabilities, and a portable solar flashlight.
These solar home systems are anticipated to notably enhance the quality of life for households by providing entertainment, local and global news through radio, and enabling children to study after dark. Moreover, d.light products contribute to household income in Uganda’s refugee settlements by extending working hours for tradespeople and small businesses and creating income opportunities for residents working as d.light salespeople in the settlements.
Established in 2007 at Stanford in California, d.light has distributed nearly 30 million products, including solar lanterns, solar home systems, TVs, radios, and smartphones, impacting the lives of over 150 million people.
