Ida Rieu School Karachi, Pakistan
Pakistan
With a population of 180 million and counting, Pakistan is expected to become the fifth most populous country in the world. Currently, 40% of the population, ie 65 million people, have no access to electricity and rely solely on dung, wood, kerosene, diesel generators or flashlights for their energy needs. Fuel poverty has a wide range of negative consequences that directly and indirectly affect the health, education, financial security and security of families living off the grid.
Our partner
For more than 10 years, EcoEnergy has been committed to solving Pakistan's energy access problem by creating a sustainable and scalable model for the widespread adoption of clean technologies and solar energy. EcoEnergy's work helps overcome the persistent problem of poverty in developing countries and promotes gender equality and access to new sources of income.
The project
By providing two of the most basic and important things that we take for granted - electricity and work - we will be able to improve the lives of many Pakistani women.
The non-profit Ida Rieu School is a facility for blind and deaf women in Karachi. In this place, many women have the opportunity to learn manual skills and acquire new work skills. This gives them the chance to earn their own money and lead an independent life. The school provides around 25 students with vocational training and all the equipment they need to study and work.
By using solar energy, the school will save up to 80% on electricity bills, so a large part of the money can be used to enable more disabled women to get vocational training. A safe place like the independent Ida Rieu School for blind and deaf women is something that really makes a difference in a patriarchal society like Pakistan. In Pakistan, the unemployment rate for women is among the highest in the world and disabled people hardly get the chance to learn a trade and work.
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