Help students learn skills that light homes, schools, and villages.

Even in today’s world, where we take electricity for granted, there are large parts of the world that operate in the dark.  In Guinea-Bissau, nearly half of households don’t have power, and many families in rural areas rely on small solar panels for lights, water pumps, and refrigerators. For many schools and businesses in Guinea-Bissau, recurring electrical problems often disrupt daily life and limit the ability to use basic technology.

Thankfully, this reality is rapidly changing. New regional power projects are bringing electricity to many households in Guinea-Bissau. Solar panel systems are now inexpensive enough that many people are powering their homes with them. So it’s no surprise that young people in Guinea-Bissau are eager to learn the skills needed to become electricians and solar technicians so they can take advantage of this growing industry. Graduates who complete electrical programs can earn 3–4 times the minimum wage in Guinea-Bissau, enabling families to cover food, water, and basic living costs reliably. In fact, when we asked our students which new course they’d like us to add, more than one in four of our students said their top choice was an electrical technician course, making it the most requested trade course.