WASHINGTON – The ONE Campaign and Scholastic have launched a new program called “Life Empowered” to raise awareness and educate students in grades 3-8 about the lack of energy access in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative formally kicked off on March 8, the day the US sprang forward to Daylight Saving Time. The “Life Empowered” website features lesson plans for teachers, student worksheets, and downloadable handouts all focused on the subject of energy poverty.

Tom Hart, US Executive Director of ONE, said:

In sub-Saharan Africa, 90 million children go to schools that lack electricity. In many places, women and girls spend up to 8 hours a day collecting wood to heat their homes and cook—one of the reasons why girls spend less time in schools than boys.

Without electricity, women give birth in dark hospitals, children’s vaccines cannot be refrigerated, students are unable to study after sundown, and doing business is nearly impossible. You need power to run factories, farms, hospitals, businesses, homes, and schools.

To raise awareness of this issue, we are delighted to partner with Scholastic, one of the most respected educational institutions in America. Together, we aim to add momentum to an effort underway to help millions of people in Africa access electricity and give them the tools to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

Ann Amstutz Hayes, Senior Vice President, Scholastic National Partnerships, said:

We are pleased to join with ONE to raise awareness about this global issue and help students to better understand the interconnected world we live in. We have created teachable moments that are fun and appealing for kids, while empowering teachers, students, and families to become informed and responsible citizens.

There are currently 1.2 billion people around the world without access to reliable electricity. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 7 out of 10 people go without electricity every day—that’s more than 600 million people—double the population of the US.