Take the pledge

7 out of 10 people in sub-Saharan Africa don’t have access to electricity. Millions rely on hospitals that don’t have any power. Families can’t refrigerate their food. Kids are forced to do their homework at night with just a candle or a flashlight. It’s time to tell our leaders that we must fight energy poverty now. Add your voice today.

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    The Fight

    It’s something most take for granted. When we flip a switch, things turn on. But what if we had no switches? Not even an outlet. Imagine the panic you’d feel arriving at a hospital without power, the roads you’d travel in complete darkness, the difficulty of helping your child do their homework with just a flashlight, and the hunger you’d feel without a refrigerator to draw upon. No one should have to live in energy poverty. We have the power to light up the future.

    Learn more about the fight.
    • 90 million
      sub-Saharan children have no electricity at school.
    • 70% of businesses
      cite the lack of access to reliable power as a major constraint
    • 225 million
      sub-Saharans rely on health facilities that are without electricity
    7 out of 10
    sub-Saharan Africans don't have access to electricity
    Nearly 1/2
    of sub-Saharan population
    won’t have access to power in 2030 without new efforts

    Take our pledge and help bring energy access to the world's poorest countries.

    Act Now
    Beat-makin’ from Chapel Hill to Africa

    ENERGY POVERTY

    Beat-makin’ from Chapel Hill to Africa

    What happens when you provide young African creatives with the tools to create their own beats? UNC Chapel Hill hip-hop professors and artists Stephen Levitin (aka Apple Juice Kid) and Pierce Freelon traveled to Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo to find out. Beat Making Lab started as a class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -undergrads earn 3 credit hours and are taught the practical, historical and entrepreneurial aspects of Beat Making.

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    Rebuilding Haiti one concrete block at a time

    ENERGY POVERTY

    Rebuilding Haiti one concrete block at a time

    By Aysha House-Moshi, Director, OPIC Congressional Affairs. This article was originally published on OPIC’s website.  “You can’t build a country without concrete.” The statement has particular relevance in Haiti, where, more than three years since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake resulted in extensive death and destruction, the country is still working to repair and rebuild and

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    World leaders agree: Increasing energy access crucial for development

    ENERGY POVERTY

    World leaders agree: Increasing energy access crucial for development

    At the moment, nearly half of sub-Saharan Africa’s population will remain without electricity until 2030. However, yesterday United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that we can’t achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) without increasing energy access.

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    The Progress

    Many of Africa’s most pressing issues could become extinct with the simple flip of a switch. We’ve seen it already. Whether in America in the 30’s to 40’s or Thailand in the 80‘s, access to energy has been essential to fighting poverty and disease. Business owners can stay open past nightfall increasing their incomes, students improve their pass rates, and health centers can offer 24 hour emergency care. Seize this unique opportunity to close the energy gap.

    Learn more about the progress.
    • 0.6%
      of Africa's geothermal energy had been exploited in 2010
    • 70%
      of child and maternal mortality could be reduced with lighting and electrical medical devices
    • 300%
      There is a 300% economic benefit when sub-Saharan African households switch to electricity
    43 million
    Number of people in Thailand who gained access to electricity in just over a decade
    26 out of 54
    African states
    are already committed to the goal of universal energy access by 2030

    Take our pledge and help bring energy access to the world's poorest countries.

    Act Now
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