Bringing Light to Nepal’s Rural Villages

Building on the success of our solar energy projects in India in partnership with Barefoot College, Karuna-Shechen has launched its own solar engineer training program for women in Nepal.

In September, eight women from four rural districts (Surkhet, Dailekh, Jajarkot and Kavre) participated in this new training in Kathmandu. They learned how to install and maintain solar home lighting systems.

Before the installation, our new solar engineers will conduct a house-to-house survey to determine which households  qualify for subsidized home lighting systems. Poorer households with school-going children will be given priority. They will then install 700 solar systems in homes in the four districts.

Karuna-Shechen will also assist our new engineers in setting up and operating solar repair and maintenance workshops in their respective villages. Our long-term objective is to help these women become social entrepreneurs so they can market, install, and maintain solar systems on their own. We are delighted that through your contributions, we are able to bring this system of empowerment and light to Nepal.