2017 has proved to be busier than ever as we scale up our work in the Tigray region; a very rural area of Ethiopia with poor infrastructure. So far we have provided 35 health centres with a catchment area of 1,250,000 people with a Solar Suitcase. These centres previously had very limited, intermittent and unreliable electricity supply, sometimes only for a few hours a day, with a couple of the centres having no electricity at all.

The team on the ground in Ethiopia have worked hard in extremely difficult conditions to reach the remote health centres. There are often no paved roads and very bad weather conditions, making each journey slow and arduous. There are another 15 Solar Suitcases to install in Tigray over the next few months, so in total 50 health centres will benefit from sustainable, reliable power and light by the end of the first quarter of 2018.

We continue our successful partnership with Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, Addis Ababa University and We Care Solar to carry out the project, which involves complete installation and training, as well as monitoring & evaluation of the new expanded Solar Suitcase system. We are pleased to be working closely with the regional health authorities in Tigray, supporting them in their efforts to improve mother and child health care in this region. This will ensure sustainable use of the equipment long term.