Every day, you wake up, eat meals, do your school work, help your parents with the chores—we hope!—and then go to bed. But what if…
What if when you went to eat breakfast, there was no refrigerator to keep food fresh?
What if when you went to school, there were no computers or Internet access because your school doesn’t have electricity?
What if you couldn’t go to school because you had to spend hours every day collecting fuel to heat your home and cook all of your food, because there’s no electricity to power a stove, washing machine, or dishwasher?
What if when you went to bed, there was no heating or cooling system to keep you comfortable?
Did you know that 7 out of 10 people in Sub-Saharan Africa live without everyday electricity? That means that nearly 620 million people in this region don’t have lighting, heating/cooling systems, hot water, access to washing machines and much more!
Only about 35% of schools in Sub-Saharan Africa have electricity. About 8 out of 10 homes in Sub-Saharan Africa have to cook food over open fires, which can lead to extremely dangerous situations.
Can you imagine living without electricity? So many people around the world do, and it’s time that we do something about it!
So what’s being done? Glad you asked! The ONE Campaign is working to bring awareness to energy poverty. When there is no access to electricity, the safety, health care, education, and business growth of many are negatively affected and we’re here to help change that.
Here’s what you can do to help!
- Talk to a parent/teacher about writing a letter to a local government representative.
- Ask your teacher if you create a presentation/activity about energy issues around the world for your class.
- Reach out to your local newspaper to get an article bringing awareness to energy poverty.
- Tell your friends! The more voices we can get, the faster we can rid the world of energy poverty.