Solar energy for West Africa e. V., SEWA for short, is a non-profit association based in Baden-Württemberg, which aims to improve living conditions in Burkina Faso through the use of solar technology. The volunteers in Germany work closely with the permanent employees in the office in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

Clean water in hospitals, electric lights in schools - from a privileged German point of view this sounds obvious, but these things are not the norm outside of Europe. With the help of solar technology, the SEWA association is working to change this in and around Burkina Faso.

Solar energy for hospitals and schools

SEWA's project work focuses on equipping Burkinabe health stations with solar systems in order to provide them with electricity. Because there, patients had to be cared for after nightfall without light, in the light of weak flashlights or even unhealthy kerosene lamps. Now the staff has enough electric light available in the evenings and at night to offer people the best possible care. Another important part of the projects is the supply of schools with electricity via solar systems. This is so important because it gets dark early in Burkina Faso and the school is also an important place for students in the evenings. The children and young people do their homework there in the evenings, while the teachers prepare the teaching materials for the next day. In addition, the rooms have to be illuminated so that the villagers can also attend literacy courses for adults or other events there in the evenings. A photovoltaic system installed by SEWA can reliably illuminate one or two classrooms every evening for up to six hours.

New jobs through SEWA

Since it was founded in 2000, SEWA has not only taken care of the construction of numerous solar systems, but also made on-site training possible. This educational offer from SEWA imparts knowledge relating to the development and production of solar devices. This ensures that the technology can be used independently on site and that jobs are created in this area. In addition, SEWA's project work is based on the fact that there are always two permanent employees from Burkina Faso working for the association. The Burkinabe accountant and the project manager Amed Wilfried Toe, who is responsible for the operational planning and coordination of the project implementation, are always on site in the office in Ouagadougou. The association also commissions local companies with the upcoming work in order to ensure that this step is also beneficial for the communities.