Reliable solar electricity brought successfully to Ouattafouakro school in Ivory Coast
Reliable solar electricity brought successfully to Ouattafouakro school in Ivory Coast
In the heart of Ivory Coast, West Africa, Ouattafouekro village has embarked on a transformative journey, shedding light on the power of electrification in education. The rural community, once grappling with limited access to electricity, has seen progress thanks to a collaborative initiative between the Alstom Foundation and Electriciens sans frontières.
With a mere 43% of children advancing to secondary school level in 2020 and only one-third of the rural population having access to electricity in 2018*, the need for change was clear. The solar electrification project at Ouattafouekro primary school, supported by the Alstom Foundation, was one of the projects that aimed to enhance the educational environment and help local families to champion their children's continued learning.
Electriciens sans frontières, approached by the local village development association, took the helm to bring clean, solar electricity to the school starting from the end of 2021. A network of volunteer professionals tailored a technical solution to meet the unique needs of the village, too remote for state electrification efforts.
"Before electrification, the school's reliance on daylight limited educational opportunities and compromised student safety. Two years later, 156 students and teachers benefit from extended study hours, a safer learning environment, and use of modern educational tools such as computers and video projectors."
Project Development Manager at Electriciens sans frontièresCharlotte Gowdy, Project Development Manager at Electriciens sans frontières, explains, "Before electrification, the school's reliance on daylight limited educational opportunities and compromised student safety. Two years later, 156 students and teachers benefit from extended study hours, a safer learning environment, and use of modern educational tools such as computers and video projectors." The school has also become a community hub for social events and adult literacy classes.
"When the project was submitted to the Alstom Foundation, I was the Managing Director of the North- and Central Africa Cluster. Our presence in Western Africa was growing at that time with some large contracts in Senegal (TER Dakar) and in Ivory Coast (Abidjan Metro), so it was quite natural for me to support the electrification of this school. I can encourage all of my colleagues to support philanthropic projects: the impact on local communities is immense. I am proud that I was an enabler for this project and to have contributed to its success from Alstom’s side. Especially in Ivory Coast, which is a country full of energetic and motivated young people, who sometimes just need a little support to improve their lives," says Raphael Bernardelli, the first Alstom nominator for this project.
To ensure the project's sustainability, local individuals have received training in maintenance, with ongoing support from local companies for service and spare parts, and the possibility of emergency assistance from the project team if required.
* Source: World Bank, Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) - Cote d'Ivoire | Data (worldbank.org)
Source: World Bank, School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) - Cote d'Ivoire | Data (worldbank.org)