Access to electricity is a crucial factor in the success and development of any community, and this is especially true for rural schools in India. Without reliable electricity, these schools are unable to provide their students with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. By providing schools with solar power we can help break the cycle of poverty and give students a brighter future. Below are a few stories from the students and teachers who have benefited our solar schools program.
The Devpada village school in the Raigad district of Maharashtra has 150 students and six classrooms for grades one through eight. Fourth-grade students Vivek and Shadvi shared their excitement about the solar array installed in their school by SVP. “Before Solar Village Project powered our school we never knew when we could use our projectors and computers. Now we can use them whenever we want. Getting solar was one of the best things for us.”
The Poshir village school has 104 students and is located in an under-served tribal community in the Raigad district of Maharashtra India. Ms. Bhagya, a teacher at the school, says “the solar array installed by Solar Village Project has eliminated the frequent power cuts from the grid, leading to higher attendance levels and test scores. With the library, classrooms and other facilities being powered by solar the students have access to the resources they need to excel in their studies.”
The Wakas village school has 100 students and also serves a tribal community in the Raigad District of Maharashtra. Dyaneshwar Malse is the headmaster of the school. When asked about his experience he said “when I joined the school the metered grid supply had been shut off because of many unpaid bills and there was no electricity. Thanks to Solar Village Project our school no longer needs the metered connection because we are now running on 100% solar power.”
The lack of access to electricity for rural schools is an enormous problem. In April of 2022 1,500 schools in the Raigad district had their power turned off due to unpaid power bills.
