At SolarBuddy, we believe in fairness for all, we believe everyone is born equal and it is only circumstance that separates us. We believe in the helping hand not the handout and we believe everyone, everywhere can fulfil their own, beautiful potential.

We believe in the extraordinary and in testing the limits to break away from the norm, so we have committed as a team to take on the challenge of hiking 65km across Tasmania's Overland Track to raise $65,000 for Madagascar where 7.9 million children are devastated by energy poverty.

 

$65,000 will allow SolarBuddy to donate 2,170 solar lights to children in Madagascar, 2,170 lights will: positively impact 10,850 lives, create 4,752,300 study hours over three years, offset 336,350 CO2e kgs and save families up to 80% of their kerosene expenditure.

Energy poverty is one of the worst forms of poverty, although largely one of the most unrecognised. It impinges on freedom, affecting all aspects of life. It keeps 1.4 billion people trapped in intergenerational poverty cycles and those affected are left reliant on burning toxic forms of biomass such as kerosene just to see once the sun sets, with devastating results.

 

Energy poverty is responsible for 4 million deaths per year; that’s more than Aids and Malaria combined. It keeps children from studying safely at night and significantly impacts their health, well-being and educational outcomes. The burning of kerosene emits black carbon; one of the worst forms of carbon pollutions, having an unsustainable impact on the environment and families will spend weekly up to 40% of their income on biomass.

 

SolarBuddy is determined to change the lives of millions of people living in energy poverty and the future of our planet one SolarBuddy light at a time. We have a primary focus on ensuring children have access to a safe and fulfilling education that will give them the tools to break the cycle of poverty they are born into and determine the futures they deserve.
In Madagascar, just 1 in 10 people have access to electricity and 7.9 million children live in energy poverty. Just 1 out of 3 children complete primary school and only 17% of children will complete primary school with minimum reading competency which can be attributed to their limited ability to study after school hours due to their lack of access to electricity. SolarBuddy refuses to accept this statistic as the norm and is committed to changing it.

 

Not only are we taking on the Overland Track to challenge ourselves and raise essential funds for children, but we are also passionate about raising awareness of the extensive issue of energy poverty as we understand that true change happens when we all, as global citizens, work together. We are calling on our amazing global community to help us make this dream come true for us and for future generations.
$30 will provide a SolarBuddy light to a child that will last them 10 years, seeing them through their crucial schooling career, allowing them to determine their own futures and create the life they deserve. 
A huge thank you to our amazing partners at On Track Expeditions for taking us on this incredible journey and helping us continue to illuminate millions of futures. 
(Source: Statistics based on World Bank, 2018)