Project Jua: 2019 reflections, findings and first installations

Powering progress

From the pilot alone, Project Jua has already benefitted 25,000 people. This includes over 15,000 students, 307 teachers, 8,857 patients and 27 medical professionals. Findings from the Pilot Phase Endline Report also show that the number of patients attending health clinics across all areas has increased by 48%, pointing to improved access to health services.

Thanks to stored power from the solar panels, each clinic can now stay open for an average of 7 extra hours (including throughout the night), massively increasing the availability of health services for those who need them.

And schools are now able to offer 3+ more hours of study time each day as lighting means that students can study for longer. There’s also an increasing number of female students enrolling, partly due to increased safety from extra lighting. 

We’re not stopping there

Key findings from the pilot have shown real improvements to education and healthcare in the areas we’ve been working in. The pilot also highlighted crucial insights that will help us make positive improvements for the second phase – which we announced recently, alongside a further £1.75 million investment to reach even more schools and health clinics.

Our extensive research found 300 sites in some of the hardest-to-reach areas of Kenya where electrification of schools and clinics will help 300,000 more people gain access to clean, affordable energy over the next three years. And it’s already begun, with our first installation of phase two completed earlier this year.

Watch this space

We think that 2019 has been a pretty brilliant year for Project Jua! Not only have we been improving children’s health and education, but we’re also supporting the Sustainable Development Goals, too. We can’t wait to keep building on this progress through 2020 and beyond.