PETERBOROUGH, Canada — Lying south of the Sahara desert, the vast sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region comprises 48 countries. Despite being a blend of lower-, middle- and upper-middle-income countries, SSA is considered the world’s poorest and least electrified region. Many people in the region live in informal settlements. This hinders their ability to access necessities like clean water, sanitation and even electricity.
While vast and diverse, SSA shares some critical issues across the region, including a widespread lack of access to electricity. Access to a consistent energy supply is a prerequisite for providing essential yet quality services. It also ensures the success of basic medical procedures, treatments and care. Electricity plays a somewhat underrated but essential role in our everyday lives and has the power to save lives literally.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Maternal Mortality
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, globally, a woman dies from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth every two minutes. As one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), maternal mortality continues to be alarmingly high across the world despite most of these deaths being treatable or preventable.
SSA struggles with the highest global maternal mortality rate according to SDG regional groupings. The area alone accounted for an estimated 70% of global maternal deaths in 2020. SSA’s high mortality rates come even though the region has nonetheless achieved significant progress in the reduction of maternal mortality rates (MMR) between 2000 and 2020.
We Care Solar
Energy access remains dire, with millions unable to access reliable, affordable, unlimited access across the region. Despite achievements in a growing number of people accessing energy and electricity, approximately 53% of the population remains without electricity. Along with rapid urbanization and population growth rates, the most significant barriers to energy access include unaffordability, poor infrastructure and political instability.
This is where the role of solar energy becomes pivotal in the fight against maternal mortality. Combatting energy poverty has been found to reduce infant, child and maternal mortality. Hence, organizations are seeking solar solutions in SSA to support facilities and workers with reliable sources of light and electricity.
We Care Solar is a nonprofit organization focused on maternal health, promoting safe motherhood and reducing maternal mortality by providing solar energy. The organization currently works around the globe, providing reliable electricity to health facilities in 49 countries. Many of its programs and initiatives are mainly situated in the SSA region.
Solar Suitcases
One of the nonprofit program staples is the “We Care Solar Suitcase,” a low-maintenance solar electric system designed to provide remote health facilities with essential lighting and power supplies daily. The organization has successfully equipped maternal health care clinics with solar suitcases in 30 countries, including Rwanda, Senegal and Somalia.
With solar panels secured to the roof and the yellow case mounted to the facility’s walls, the solar suitcases have allowed health care workers to successfully improve their delivery capacities and take care of obstetric emergencies. It has also improved maternal and newborn outcomes.
Increased access to reliable light sources has also incentivized women to deliver at the facility and expand their use of the clinics’ services. Its website says more than 15 million mothers and newborns have been served in health centers using the solar suitcases.
– Irene Suvillaga
Irene Suvillaga is based in Ontario, Canada and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr