Solidarity projects in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the rate of access to electricity is only 18% (World Bank data, 2019), and only 4.75% in rural areas. This situation has serious consequences, particularly in the education sector. Once night falls, children return from school in the dark, exposing themselves to potential dangers, and are unable to study at home in the evening, which is a significant obstacle to the success of their school career.

The collective solar lamp charging station is an innovative solution that improves the study conditions of the students, while reinforcing the role of the host institution. Thanks to the presence of a station in a school, for example, we observe a positive incentive to schooling since the children must be present every day at school to have their lamp recharged.

Thus, in Burkina Faso, since the first project set up in late 2018 in the Kierma school in partnership with the NGO Electriciens sans frontières, 60 stations have been installed in about 20 schools, colleges or orphanages, benefiting more than 3,200 students. Often, solar lamps are also made available to teachers so that they can more easily prepare lessons and correct homework, as in the case of the project led by the NGO Amis des Enfants du Monde at the Tal-B-Neere school-orphanage in Kamboinse, in the central region of Burkina Faso.

Most of these projects are carried out by associative partners who have been involved in development and cooperation activities in Burkina Faso for many years. In addition to the NGO Electriciens sans frontières, we can mention for example the associations Terre Partagée, Lumassan, H2O sans frontières, Amis des Enfants du Monde…

All of these projects carried out in schools contribute not only to promoting access to energy for students and their families (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7: Ensure access to reliable, sustainable and modern energy services at an affordable cost), but they also contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 aimed at ensuring access to quality education for all.

Finally, it should be noted that all the equipment installed by Lagazel and its partners in the schools (charging stations and solar lamps) are manufactured in Dedougou by local technicians trained in the manufacture of solar products. This approach contributes to local economic development and creates decent jobs for Lagazel’s employees, who thus see the living conditions of their families improve, in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal n°8 which aims to promote sustained, shared and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.