Solar Innovation to Solve Water Insecurity and Education Access
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OUTCOMES:
1. 600 students now attend the school regularly
2. School attendance has increased to 90% since the installation of our system
3. Health benefits—reduction in water borne diseases in the community by 50% within 6 months of installation
This region in Cambodia is impacted by climate change induced drought, resulting in severe water insecurity. Lack of clean water affects the health and well-being of the community, disproportionately impacting its women and children. Lack of hygiene and sanitation aggravates the situation. It is also very hot throughout the year and the village’s only school does not have a supply of clean water. As a result, children do not come to school especially in the summer months and many of them fall ill after drinking polluted water. Our solar innovation addresses this intersectional problem of water insecurity and lack of access to education.
We are leveraging clean energy innovation and youth empowerment to deliver a sustainable, long term solution that resolves water insecurity and improves education access for this indigenous community. Our project uses an off-grid solar installation to pump clean water out of a bore well, store it in an overhead tank and pipe it to the school, thereby ensuring clean drinking water supply to the school children all year round. Additional off-grid solar panels power lights and fans in the school, creating well-ventilated classrooms providing comfortable learning conditions for school children.
A group of 10 local youth, below the age of 24, have been trained and mentored by Green Hope Foundation as change ambassadors. Through them, we conduct regular workshops on water conservation, sanitation and hygiene , to change community behaviors.
