Light up our future

The impact on light to extend livelihoods for farmers who harvest crops, light means that they can benefit from longer work hours, increasing quality checking their crops for resale, and often waking up at dusk to travel to the market.

The donation of solar lights to schools created an extended avenue for further studying in the evenings with the lack of light, especially during the winter months. The solar lights have created an awareness raising around alternative solutions to kerosene and firewood for light.

The impact on light to extend livelihoods for farmers who harvest crops, light means that they can benefit from longer work hours, increasing quality checking their crops for resale, and often waking up at dusk to travel to the market.

The impact of electrification of rural areas (providing accessible and affordable energy solutions has brought a sense of safety, security and vibrancy to the communities. Ablution facilities are typically a distance from the rondavels, and this made this easier due to the mobility of the products.

Electrification has made communities feel safer and improved the overall quality of life through mobility after dark, due to the proximity of the communities from main roads.

The provision of solar power to clinics in the highlands has brought the services to the communities. Local shop owners’ electrification has meant customers are able to travel in the evenings to their shops, whilst other small business owners such as tailors, have been able to work in the evenings and display their merchandise.

The marketplace has also had a positive social impact as the meeting place for communities which has increased social interaction.

The PayGo system has a USB port for charging mobile phones which is essential for mobile money solutions (instead of over 10km walks to facilities). Mobile phone access has grown significantly and remains the easiest way to achieve financial inclusion for most of the rural population of Lesotho.

There are two mobile money services in Lesotho, Econet’s ECOCASH, launched in 2012, and Vodacom Lesotho‘s MPESA service launched in 2013.