Solar Energy in Cameroon

Life in the rainforest can mean living without basic infrastructure – including electricity and light.

For villages in the Kupe Muanenguba Division of Cameroon, light is vital and enables basic, essential activities to continue. Kids can study, food can be prepared and eaten, evening work can take place, people can connect and talk with each other.

But without alternatives, communities rely on weekly tree-cutting for survival – for light, cooking, and warmth – which puts pressure on the health of their rainforest.

Solar panels being installed by our partners CCREAD.

Enter solar energy

Your support changed this. Together, we brought solar power to five rainforest villages in Cameroon, and the impact was immediate.

We partnered with the Centre for Community Regeneration and Development (CCREAD), an organisation representing Cameroonian people living around the national park and wildlife sanctuary.

We listened to local people and funded five solar energy farms with your donations. These solar grids are the first of many and with your continued support, they won’t be the last.

Together with CCREAD, this solar grid project provides both light and electricity to schools, medical centres and 1,000 homes.

One of the Cameroon villages with their brand new solar panels.

What this means for people.

Today, solar panels power households, schools, and health centres. A flick of a switch now lights up entire rooms, making firewood almost unnecessary.

“There is no way we would have thought that someday, people in this community will have electricity because we have been abandoned for years.”
– A community member, Kupe Muanenguba Division of Cameroon

Solar-powered light goes way beyond tackling deforestation alone.

Light and power enable a more balanced life. It extends the day, creating opportunities to cook, eat and study, to talk and relax. When our basic needs are met, it builds a solid foundation for amazing things to happen beyond just getting by.

Solar power lights up communities like this and allows for play, study and quality time to continue after dark.

What this means for rainforest.

While some tree cutting remains part of rainforest life, communities with solar power have cut their tree use by 85% – down from 21 to just 3 trees per month. This ensures an additional 1,080 trees remain standing strong, storing carbon and protecting our planet.

Imagine how many more trees could remain standing if we could light up every rainforest community.

Now what?

Word is spreading and many other villages in the area are requesting solar energy. Whether it’s for light in homes, in schools or to power essential medical equipment in health centres, you have the power to turn five solar energy grids into fifty.

This is something we believe hugely benefits the world we live in and all of our futures. People living in rainforest are our best bet in protecting the natural environments that ultimately fight the climate crisis – and that’s why we back people every time.