Since January 2019 CEFA has been part of the Shine Campaign Steering Committee, a global campaign that brings together numerous entities (foundations, investment funds, religious communities and civil society organizations) in a common commitment to ensure that every person planet, especially the most vulnerable ones, has access to safe, clean, reliable and affordable energy sources.
To understand the path that led CEFA to be part of this community, we spoke to Dario De Nicola, head of the energy sector for CEFA Onlus.
“The relationship with Shine was born thanks to the MOTT Foundation, an American company we have been working with for a year and that starting from this January it funds us a research project to identify the determinants of the success of our rural electrification projects in Tanzania, for extrapolating a model and best practices that can be useful to other operators in the sector “, explains Dario.” After some skype calls, the Director of Shine, Lisa Jordan, invited me to participate as a lecturer at an event organized as part of the Sustainable Energy for All Forum, held in Lisbon last May. On that occasion I could meet the other members of Shine and show them our work in Tanzania; in particular the reality of the Ikondo-Matembwe hydroelectric mini-grid. An infrastructure that has been operating autonomously and sustainably for over 25 years and which currently serves 8 villages and over 1,200 users”, continues Dario.
Last November the Director of Shine proposed to Dario to become part of the Campaign Steering Committee representing CEFA.
The involvement of CEFA responds to Shine’s need to increase the representation of experts in the implementation of interventions in the field within their decision-making bodies. In addition, the full involvement in CEFA projects of local communities has also been important. These, not only make their contribution during the implementation of the interventions, but later they become the custodians and managers of the infrastructure.
With over 30 years of experience in rural electrification projects, CEFA is the direct testimony that interventions of this type have the ability to radically transform the life of the communities involved, guaranteeing development opportunities that would otherwise be precluded to them.
To find out more about CEFA’s electrification interventions, watch the video.
These projects reflect the spirit of the Shine Campaign and are fully part of the Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations, in particular in relation to the seventh objective: the one of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
