“The Urja Sakhi”
Limited & erratic power supply keeps millions of Indian villages in darkness. The state of Bihar is no exception. A heavy reliance on kerosene & wood for energy needs, keeps many in a state of poor health.
“Women in my village suffer from breathing problems & smarting eyes due to smoke from firewood”, says Dharmasheela. “We desperately needed a solution, & when I heard about SSP’s solar initiative, I knew we had an answer”.
Dharmasheela wasted no time & enrolled herself for the clean energy entrepreneurship course. Not only would she be promoting a healthy lifestyle, she would also market these products – the earnings a welcome addition to the family income.
Knocking on every door, she reached out to all households in her village convincing them to switch to solar lights and lamps. Setting up a stall on busy market days, she attracted customers by offering a two-year guarantee on the products and easy payments through instalments.
Today, Dharmasheela owns her own shop, has sold 1000 products till date, earning rupees 10,000 (140 USD) per month.
Dharmasheela’s enthusiasm for renewables has inspired many to make the shift from kerosene to solar. As she says “Clean energy is not just a business. It is an investment in better health, in the environment and in the future of our planet”.