KarunaNews Story

In many rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, mothers give birth in health care centers that lack reliable electricity. “They’re operating using kerosene lamps, they’re operating with dim light, which provides a very insignificant support to be able to deliver very good health services to mothers and newborns,” says Dr. Ambrose Katungi Muhwezi of the nonprofit We Care Solar. Without light, women with difficult deliveries who need C-sections or blood transfusions may need to move to more distant clinics. “And this ends up creating catastrophic health expenditures for their communities, affecting the overall economic status of the family.” We Care Solar has installed off-grid solar electric systems called solar suitcases in more than 10,000 clinics across Africa. Each system uses a rooftop solar panel to provide power to a kit with medical lights, a fetal monitor, and charging ports for headlamps and other devices.