Solar energy illuminates women's lives in rural Yemen

Nearly half of the homes in E’tiraf’s village don’t have electricity at all or have unreliable grid power. Alternative sources of energy, such as solar systems, provide clean, renewable energy. Solar energy is cheaper and safer than kerosene-based energy that the majority of the villagers use in the absence of stable energy sources. The lack of electricity and other basic services forces many families to leave their hometowns in the countryside in search of better services and livelihood opportunities in cities.

“I’ve always believed the sun can give us unlimited energy to illuminate our lives,” says E’tiraf. “I also thought about starting a small business to sell solar systems in my village, but I couldn’t make it. I didn’t have enough capital and the needed skills to deal with solar systems.”

E’tiraf, along with 1,300 participants in the Musaymer and Tuban districts of Lahj governorate, was fortunate to participate in the Supporting Resilient Livelihoods and Food Security in Yemen (ERRY II) Joint Programme. Supported wiith funding from the European Union (EU) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), CARE works with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to help people like E’tiraf establish their small businesses.

Through the project, E’tiraf received training in both business management and solar systems installation and maintenance. The training gave E’tiraf the required guidance and confidence to put her idea into practice. “The skills I learned have changed the way I see myself and the world,” she says. “The training has enabled me to realize the resources I already have and how to link those resources to market demands to build my business and earn a living,” says E’tiraf.

The project also provided a financial grant of 600 USD to help E’tiraf in establishing her business. After the training, E’tiraf partnered with three other participants and started to sell solar systems to villagers in installments.

“This is the beginning of a real change in society’s convictions about women’s abilities,” E’tiraf says proudly. “At the beginning of the project, my husband wasn’t convinced I should work in solar energy systems, but after a while, he changed his mind and started to help me.”

“The mix of skills we received from this program are useful beyond starting a business,” she says. “It even helps us navigate family and community issues and extend our outreach to rural communities with much-needed products and services,” E’tiraf concludes.