“Luz para as Meninas” | United Nations Development Programme

Author: Samory Araújo, Head of Solution Mapping, UNDP Cabo Verde Accelerator Lab

Context

Energy is an important part of the economic sector on which Cabo Verde depends. The government’s key priority is to ensure affordable access to energy for 100% of households in the country. According to the National Statistical Institute, in 2015 the access to electricity rate in the country was 86%.

The main source of energy for lighting purposes is still electricity from the national grid (58%), followed by (18.7%) and crude oil (15.4%). It is no surprise that access to electricity is strongly linked to economic purchasing power. Lower income families and/or poor people most often use candles and oil.

For example, on the island of São Vicente, one of the most populated urban centers, many houses within the city limits, owned by single women, still have no access to electricity due to the configuration of the houses (tin houses) and poverty.

The “Luz para as Meninas” project was created in response to the lack of access to energy in female-headed households with school-age girls on the island of São Vicente, where there is a high rate of poverty, unstructured families and low levels of education.

Renewable Energy Partnership Solution

The island of São Vicente is home to more than half of the tin houses in Cape Verde. According to INE, at the time of the 2020 General Census of Population and Housing, there were 1,771 tin houses on the island, representing 56.7% of the 3,125 tin houses in the country. People live in these apartments in an inhumane way (without bathrooms, electricity), i.e. without minimum living conditions. Based on this assumption, the “Luz paras as Meninas” project was born, which involves installing solar lighting kits in tin houses on the island of São Vicente, on the initiative of OMCV, the Delegation of São Vicente.

The first phase of the project emerged during the pandemic and aimed to support families headed by women or girls who are students, who have no access to electricity in São Vicente and who live in tin-roofed houses without access to new information technologies. It has already been implemented by OMCV with financial support from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, benefiting approximately 50 female students and their families. “The project was a success.”

The aim of this initiative is not only to provide lighting for the families living in these houses, but also to create conditions for girls and boys to study at night and develop knowledge, which “will allow them to achieve other things and change their lives.” alive.” Another advantage of the project is that residents no longer have to rely on candles or gasoline to light their homes, which reduces the risk of fire.

The partnership between the Laboratory and OMCV aimed to provide access to electricity to 150 families living in homes not suitable for grid connection, while ensuring that girls had access to energy to study at night. The project also aimed to raise awareness of the use of renewable energy through the distribution of a solar energy production kit.

target group

Initially, the project was aimed at 150 girls living in tin huts on the island of São Vicente who wanted to improve their living conditions. 600 people close to direct beneficiaries would benefit indirectly. Ultimately, 70% of girls and 30% of families of school-age boys benefited from the project.

Key project milestones

Meeting between OMCV-SV and UNDP/Accelerator Lab.

Signing of the agreement between UNDP and OMCV

Working meetings with the OMCV technical team to analyze and discuss project aspects such as project type, beneficiaries, etc.

Visit to communities on the island of São Vicente to meet with local NGOs to raise their awareness of the importance of using renewable energy.

Signing a contract for the delivery of sets and the provision of production services, assembly and fastening of brackets to the sets.

Travel to communities, meet with project beneficiaries and partners.

Project monitoring and evaluation

Benefits/Impact:

Improving quality of life: 575 people, including 381 women (66%) and 194 men (34%), now benefit from access to clean, renewable energy, which improves the health, education and safety of their families.

Promoting gender equality: The project prioritizes families with women and/or girls in school, helping to reduce the gender gap in access to education and opportunities.

Economic empowerment: Reducing lighting costs frees up financial resources for other basic needs, promoting women’s economic empowerment.

Scalability

During the scale-up phase, Luz para as Meninas has partnered with the Global Environment Facility on a small grants program that has already funded an additional 170 families on the island of Sao Vicente, further increasing the impact of the Luz para as Meninas project.

The aim of the project is to reach 1,000 families on three islands (S. Vicente, Maio Santiago). This initiative may require an estimated budget of $100,000, which may be a combination of funding from the Small Grants Program (SGP), the Accelerator Laboratory (Lab), and potential partnerships with other organizations or donors.

Building on the positive experiences related to the Luz para as Meninas project, the Office will expand this initiative in 2024 by

Expanding the project to other areas of São Vicente and beyond to the islands of Maio and Santiago, reaching a wider population and solving energy access challenges in many regions.

Engage local community leaders, residents and stakeholders in the planning and decision-making process to tailor the project to their specific needs.

Collaborate with local organizations, government agencies and non-governmental organizations to pool resources, share expertise and leverage collaborative efforts to expand the project’s reach and impact.

The lab has already partnered with UNI-CV to create the “Kafuka Renewable Energy Solution” (a local solar energy solution for lighting that can be cheaper).

Local production of kits in Cape Verde, providing opportunities for skill development. Collaboration with academic institutions on the research and development (R&D) component to improve and innovate technology according to local needs and conditions.