Project funding
Overview over funded projects

The aim of the project is the training and further education of teaching staff at vocational schools in southern Tanzania in the field of renewable energies/solar energy. Vocational schoolteachers are trained as multipliers and empowered to train both trainees and other teachers, with a focus on training women/girls and female teachers. Particularly talented trainees receive a scholarship for a three-month internship. In 2023, the trained teachers were already able to pass on the material they had learnt at all vocational schools and around 230 pupils benefited from the lessons.

The project has successfully implemented solar-powered irrigation pumps in Kaguruka village, addressing water scarcity issues. The solar pumps have enabled them to expand cultivation and diversify crops. In the following years farmers will also acquire skills in business development. Also, community empowerment is supported by fostering unity, shared progress, and inspiring other farmers. The involvement of community leaders and collaboration with local government authorities also align with the goal of community development. Further, there is evidence of increased agricultural productivity among the beneficiary groups.

ZAREDO is currently implementing the project "Promoting irrigation farming activities carried out by groups of women entrepreneurs by accessing solar energy as a source of obtaining water”. In the course of the project, the ZAREDO-staff received a one-week training in the installation and use of solar irrigation tools, conducted by our long-term partner TAREA. In 2023 two women groups have successfully installed large solar systems for pumping water on agricultural fields.  Further, 32 Women have been taught some water management and sanitation skills, they learned about the best way to store water and have acquired water management skills.

In the first year of the project, SOFIs WORLD was able to install eight more photovoltaic systems, which are used by the women from "Women of Faith". In May, the first four families were also equipped with biogas plants. These serve as demonstration and showcase systems for the neighbouring families. As the Maasai's traditional grazing methods led to major losses due to the increasingly long periods of drought, SOFIs WORLD is supporting them in converting to partial stall farming with biogas. As a result of the conversion, the extensive former pastureland can be used extensively for growing vegetables.

So far, four health centres have been equipped with solar power. In addition, five hospital employees per ward have been trained in the commissioning and maintenance of solar systems. The solar systems are used for lighting and refrigerators. It has already been noticed that the number of mothers in the clinics has increased. They are no longer dependent on travelling long distances to receive medical care at distant health centres.

The Tanzania Renewable Energy Association from Tanzania created sustainable access to clean water for the girls of the Preiswerk Secondary School. With the support of URBIS, a photovoltaic solar pump was installed in the school. This improved general hygiene and saves the girls the arduous and sometimes dangerous task of fetching water. Thus, they can fully concentrate on their education.

With the support of URBIS, the SOFIs WORLD - Social Finance Foundation installed rainwater collection systems for the Maasai women's group "Women of Faith" in Kenya to ensure the drinking water supply for the families. The systems collect and store rainwater from the roofs of the 35 family huts.

The Renewable Energy Zanzibar Association from Zanzibar used the funding from URBIS to support orphans in their school education by giving them access to solar energy through the installation of 60 small solar systems, allowing them to study for school in the evenings. Additionally, community members were sensitised to the benefits of using renewable energies. The project is a continuation of the successful project from last year.

Through the project with our partner TAREA, two schools were equipped with energy efficient and clean fuel wood stoves, which reduces the risk for respiratory diseases and halves the firewood consumption. Furthermore, students were educated on climate change resilience through tree planting and planted 860 trees seedlings themselves. To ensure the long-term growth of the seedlings, each tree was allocated to a specific student which is now responsible for taking care of it.

Im Rahmen dieses Projekts wurde die IRUWA Werkstatt für erneuerbare Energien im Südosten Kenias von SOFIs WORLD wieder in einen guten Zustand gebracht und die Produktion von regenerativen Energietechnologien, insbesondere Biogas und Solarthermie, wieder aufgenommen. Das Inventar der Werkstatt wurde repariert und mit neuen Produktionsmaterialien ergänzt. Durch die Anschaffung von neuen Biogasanlagen und einem Installationstraining wird nun auch das SOFIs WORLD Demohaus mit Biogas als Kochenergie versorgt. In der Produktion konnten außerdem 5 neue Werkstudent*innen aus dem Berufscollege eingestellt werden.

With this project, SOFIs WORLD restored the IRUWA renewable energy workshop in south-eastern Kenya to good condition and resumed production of renewable energy technologies, especially biogas and solar thermal. The workshop's inventory was repaired and supplemented with new production materials. Through the purchase of new biogas equipment and installation training, the SOFIs WORLD demo house is now also supplied with biogas as cooking energy. In addition, 5 new working students from the vocational college were employed in production.

Within the URBIS Foundation’s funding programme, the African German Energy Development Association e.V. (AGEDA) was able to build a well in The Gambia. In cooperation with its local partner MADRA Development Foundation, a 35-metre-deep borehole was drilled in the Kerr Pateh Koreh village community and a solar-powered water lifting system was installed. The well supports the local women's groups and is intended to contribute to the development of sustainable agricultural methods as well as food security. The well supports the women's groups in the fight against hunger, as they can now cultivate their fields more efficiently and reliably. 

In Sargo, a village in central-northern Burkina Faso, a solar pump system was installed by the Centre Solidarité et Initiatives pour le Développement au Burkina Faso (CSID-BURKINA) through the URBIS Foundation’s funding scheme. The project supported the local women farmers' cooperative "WENDPANGA", which now irrigates its 2-hectare cultivated area with the solar pump and thus cultivates its land more efficiently and with higher yields. As part of the project, the women also received training on production techniques and solar technology. 

Thanks to the Giving Children Hope Initiative (GCHI) from Uganda, the primary school in Kabagolo village has finally access to electricity. With URBIS funding, GCHI installed a 2.3 kWp solar system on the primary school in Mitayana District, Central Uganda. As the school has no connection to the power grid, the solar system is not only a cheap and clean source but also the only source of electricity. From now on, pupils and teachers can work and study independently from daylight and they can finally introduce computers. 

Within the framework of the URBIS funding programme, Aktiv für Afrika e.V. installed a solar power system in the village of Kwanjarko in eastern Ghana, through which a solar pump is powered. This sustainably improves the health and living situation of the 1,500 inhabitants through year-round, safe supply of clean drinking water and also creates local opportunities. The URBIS grant was part of a larger project to install a solar-powered borehole pump in the village. 

Kinderrechte Afrika e.V., with financial support from the URBIS Foundation, installed a photovoltaic system with 3.6 kWp on the Terre des Anges training farm in southern Benin in 2021. This system now provides solar energy and supports the agricultural training of the young girls on the farm and the production of agricultural products for the child protection centre La Passerelle of the Beninese organization Espace Solidarité Globale Bénin (ESGB). In addition, a solar pump was installed for the drinking water supply and the staff and farm students were familiarised with the use of solar energy. 

In the village of Nzindong in western Cameroon, Technik ohne Grenzen e.V. built a well to improve the local drinking water supply. The URBIS Foundation supported the project by funding the solar system to supply the electric well pump. To counteract the prevailing lack of drinking water and to improve its access, the extracted water is piped to three public water points in the village. Clean drinking water is now available at the church forecourt, the primary school and the hospital. 

The Alpha Childcare and Community Development Organisation (ACCOD) from Uganda implemented a solar project in two health stations in rural areas as part of the URBIS funding programme in 2021. As part of the project, the two health stations in Luuka District were equipped with PV systems for light supply and solar refrigerators for cooling medicines. Now, many mothers and their children from the region have access to improved health care with a daily 24-hour service. To ensure continuous use of the new solar installation and the sustainability of the project, the staff of the health posts were also trained in maintenance and servicing of the solar installations. 

Our project partner REZA has supported three women's groups in Zanzibar with the sale of a total of 240 solar kits. So far, more than 1,000 people from 15 villages have gained access to electrical energy.

Our partner RUDIA from Tanzania has equipped five collectives of fishmongers in the city of Kasulu in the southwest of the country with solar refrigerators as part of our 2021 funding projects. In order to ensure the sustainable use of solar technology, the selected saleswomen were trained in the use and maintenance of the refrigerators when they were handed over. In addition, there was networking among the members, which has been consolidated through regular meetings.

In the Tanzanian village of Ifakara, the partner TAREA has equipped the local girls' school with a 1.28 kWp photovoltaic system. Afterwards, the teaching staff and the pupils were informed about the functioning and use of solar energy. In the future the school will thus have a reliable and climate-neutral energy source at its disposal, which will also be used as a demonstration and training object.

In order to achieve the project's overall objective of promoting the increased use of renewable and environmentally friendly energy technology, a total of six solar thermal systems were installed in two West Georgian municipalities. In the village of Chokhatauri and the small town of Khoni, a public soup kitchen, a kindergarten and several private households were equipped with solar collectors. The plants all serve as demonstration objects whose operators will promote the use of solar energy in the coming years.

In addition to the installations, two seminars and several information events were held in the target communities to inform the local population about the costs and benefits of thermal energy systems.

Our project partner Dr. Luppa from Togo, with the support of the URBIS FOUNDATION Germany, has realised a project to supply the population of the village of Tindjassi in Togo. A water tower with a capacity of 5,000 litres was built and a solar pump was installed. The water reservoir now supplies three water points which ensure the local population as well as the nomads passing through the village with water.

Within the frame of the project an office for marketing and sales of solar thermal systems was established in the SOFIs WORLD house in the Taita Hills in the south of Kenya. This special expansion had many positive effects: The working conditions of the solar thermal workshop have been improved and the intensified marketing is expected to increase the sales of solar thermal systems in the medium to long term. At the same time, the expansion provides more space and thus better teaching conditions for pupils, students and the local population who regularly participate in projects at the SOFIs WORLD House.

The idea of the project was to empower women fish vendors economically through the provosion of solar fridges. Target groups were especially vulnerable women, such as single mothers, widows or women living with HIV/AIDS. Thanks to the solar fridges, these women can now produce ice and cool their fish catch, allowing them to transport the fish to markets located at a greater distance. Broadening their selling options increases their income and therefore the security of their livelihood significantly. Moreover, these selected women have started working with women in neigbouring areas to expand the network of fish vendors, thereby creating more direct beneficiaries of the project.

Women's groups in the south and in the central region of Zanzibar were qualified to set up revolving funds and thus both start their own companies and acquire solar systems. A total of 7 villages were selected and 53 women trained by REZA. Thanks to the training and workshops, the women's groups can continue their savings groups independently and sustainably. In the long term, the entire village community should benefit from the women's new skills and gain access to clean energy.

In Tanzania, the renewable energy sector is still largely male: men in particular are solar craftsmen and are responsible for installation and maintenance. TAREA's approach was to train more women in solar energy, enabling them to carry out maintenance work independently and generate income. 13 young women were selected to take part in a one-week training course. Theoretical and practical training covered different topics: both the installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems, as well as customer acquisition.

The objective of the project was to decrease energy poverty through enabling local households to better use existing renewable/biomass resouces. A variety of capacity building measures (such as trainings and workshops) were implemented, such as the construction and use of fuel efficient stoves in householsds, kindergartens and schools, as well as a joint demonstration of the of practical applications of a greenhouse-dryer. This eco-friendly dryer ensures the production of off-season vegetables in late autumn and winter and allows for the drying of fruits, vegetables and spices during the summer and early autumn period.

With the help of Ekoltava, a school in Bilyki, in the Poltava region of Ukraine, is now the first "green school". In the course of the project, Ekoltava installed a PV system on the school roof and organised informational campaigns for students and authorities about energy efficiency and renewables. It is the first school in Poltava region using solar energy for their own needs.

As a continuation of ACSET's successful RELIEF project in 2018, new villages and beneficiaires have been chosen and targeted in the frame of the RELIEF 2 project. As many health centers and schools in Uganda suffer from insufficient or unreliable lighting, solar PV systems have been installed at a health center and two mixed schools. Moreover, in the community of Akura, 50 women were trained in economic management. They received self-recheable solar lanterns, which liberated them from buying expensive paraffin, thus saving money. Consequently, the formed a small savings-and-loans group, enabling them to start small businesses themselves and support others through small loans. Some beneficiaries have already started income generating activities like grain selling and buying, fish selling, tailoring and small groceries to generate income for their households.

The village of Sepp in Cameroon is not only very remote, but also has no electricity. In the local soap factory, the entire production of toilet soaps is mostly carried out by women with disabilities. Due to the lack of electricity, the work was not only more difficult, but only a limited number of women could be employed. The installation of a solar photovoltaic system now enables the women to use electrical appliances and to work with light. In addition, villagers (also from neighbouring villages) can charge their mobile phones for a small fee. This contributes to the sustainability of the successful project.

In recent years, the Dr. Luppa Projekthilfe e.V. has started a school and a kindergarden in the town of Bassar in central Togo. Additionally, they built a canteen and a vegetable garden, which is run by local widows. Due to the support by URBIS, it was possible to install a water storage tank, which supplies the school facilities as well as the vegetable garden via a pipe system. The pump, which pumps the water upwards from the depth, is powered by solar energy.

In many regions in Tanzania, schools do not yet have access to reliable and secure lighting. URBIS supported the organization TAREA in the installation of a photovoltaic system on the roof of a girls school in Malinyi. This offers the girls the opportunity to study in the evening as well and hence to perform well in their studies. Furthermore, since the dormitory does now also possess reliable lighting, the girls can stay overnight in a protected environment.

The WECF-supported project is a follow-up project whose predecessor was originally initiated by local rural women from the village of An Oston in Kyrgyzstan. Based on the establishment of a community-based drinking water organisation, whose members consist of the local population and which operates the water supply sustainably under its own management, another 93 households were connected to the new water supply system as part of the follow-up project co-financed by URBIS. Moreover environmentally friendly sanitary facilities were installed and measures for wastewater treatment were implemented.

In Togo, less than 28% of the households have access to electricity. Thus, the program Mivo Energie has sensitized rural households for the use of solar energy and distributed equipments for solar energy. Thanks to these new equipments, the standart of living has improved significantly: For instance, the inhalation of harmful fuel gases caused by the use of lighting with petroleum and kerosine lamps was reduced.

In 2018 URBIS supported the overall furnishing of the SOFIs WORLD house in Kenya. The meeting place serves as an accommodation for international and native students as well as a conference center for politics, science and economy. Moreover, regular informative meetings for especially the local population create awareness for the benefits of using renewable energy technologies.

As in the previous year, URBIS supported the development of the SOFIs WORLD house in Kenya, a meeting center presenting the use of renewable energy systems. This year the organisation was able to purchase and build rainwater storage tanks, steel-gas-constructions on the roof terrace as well as solar thermal installations ensure an ecologic use of the house. Furthermore, informative meetings were held with the local population to create awareness for the benefits of using renewable energies.

In 2018, REZA organized trainings, workshops and presentations to distribute knowledge about renewable energy technologies among the people living in the rural areas of Zanzibar. Another important aspect was to foster networks and connections between local clan leaders and the government to jointly improve knowledge exchange on sustainable development and best practices. Specialists were invited to the trainings to sensitize the villagers to the prospective use of renewable energies.

The aim of the project was to install a solar powered mill, to enable the women forming the association to transform their corn and millet grains into flour to sell it. As a result the project has opened new sources of income for this particular group, as women from all over the region come to use the mill for a small fee. Normally, these women have to travel miles to find mills or grind their grain, so the offer of the new solar mill reduces their difficulties significantly.

In northern Uganda, many households in many villages still live in darkness since they cannot afford paraffin. This often has a negative impact on the school perfomance of students. ACSET, supported by URBIS, implemented a broad project in two villages in northern Uganda. Two schools were equipped with solar lighting systems, solar lanterns were distributed to 200 households and 3 women groups have been trained on entrepreneurship skills, financial literacy and village savings and loan association (VSLA).
The beneficiaries have formed VSLA groups: they are practicing savings of small income and loaning small money to group members to empower their small businesses. Some beneficiaries have started income generating activities like grain selling and buying, fish selling, tailoring and small groceries to generate income for their households.

The Georgian NGO RCDA (Rural Communities Development Agency) held comprehensive workshops and trainings in the municipality of Khamiskuri on an efficient and environmentally friendly use of biomass residues for household heating. By forming briquettes made of biomass residues, the inhabitants have been sensitised for the benefits of using old biomass, instead of clearing forests to obtain firewood.

In the frame of a pilot project, URBIS supported the NGO Ayrudzi in drafting a comprehensive business plan for the installation of a local PV plant. The focus was especially on the inclusion of cooperatives. As the interest in the project was higher than expected, three business plans were created in the end for three different plant sizes: 60kW, 150kW and 500kW capacity.

Like many other villagers in Cameroon, the inhabitants of the village Lok-Ikwo have to cover long distances on foot to reach the next water source. URBIS supported the association Log-ikwo-in-Kamerun Nachhaltig e.V. in installing a solar water pump in the centre of the village. To guarantee the sustainability of the project, each villager pays a monthly sum which is saved in case of maintenance needs. Moreover, 8 villagers, among them 3 women, were trained to do basic maintenance work.

The rural regions of these three countries suffer from a lack of energy. Moreover, the local population often does not possess sufficient knowhow about the developement of an economically successful energy association. Therefor, the goal of the organisation WECF is to support the development of independent, local associations for a decentralised and climate friendly energy supply, facilitating the access to energy and warm water. Together with the local partners, WECF implemented energy projects in various fields, such as the building of solar collectors, insulation and energy-efficient stoves. During the workshops, women and men were trained and sensitized for the benefits of these technologies.

2017 begann die Organisation SOFIs WORLD mit dem Bau eines ökologisches Musterhaus zur Unterbringung von Praktikanten und Informationsgästen sowie zur Demonstration sinnvoller Energieanlagen und ökologischer Haus- und Gartentechnik für die einheimische Bevölkerung und Kunden in den Taita Hills in Kenia. Das Haus soll als praktisches Anwendungsbeispiel für verschiedene erneuerbare Energietechnologien dienen.

In 2017 TAREA, the Tanzanian association for renewable energies, conducted a comprehensive survey among its members to assess their needs and challenges in the renewable energy market in Tanzania. Additionally, URBIS supported TAREA's school project, where students in the Manyara region were sensitised for the benefits of renewable energy technologies. Subsequently, these students started "Renewable energy school clubs", which are supposed to help educate the regional population on the importance of environmental protection.

So-called Shehas are the clan or village leaders in Zanzibar. Their support is vital when trying to promote the use and spread of renewable energy technologies. Therefore, in 2017, REZA (Renewable Energy Zanzibar Association) conducted workshops and trainings with Shehas in local regions to educate them on the benefits of renewable energies. We at URBIS supported this approach.

URBIS supported the Tanzanian women initiative Mategemeo in purchasing a solar powered mill to process their agricultural projects locally. This did not only generate additional income for the women, who could charge fees for non-members wishing to use the mill, but also freed girls and women from having to walk long distances to get the cereal to the next diesel-powered mill.

In many regions in Uganda, especially in rural ones, households often have to rely on harmful kerosene lamps for lighting. Supported by URBIs, the NGO ACSET (Action for Child Social and Economic Transformation) installed a 200W Solar Lighting System on the roof of a High School, to supply the school facility as well as the dormitories with safe and renewable electricity. The school's more than 150 students, 12 teachers and 3 non-teaching staff members now have access to enough lights and a sufficient power source to charge their phones and computers.

In 2016, the NGO SOFIs WORLD was able to purchase land property in the Taita Hills in Kenya. On the premises they built a mechanical workshop on 120 square meters. In this workshop, local technicians produce solar thermal modules, which were supposed to be sold regionally. the overall objective was to save the marginalised forest from further deforestation, to increase the economic strength of rural families and to create new job opportunities. URBIS supported the project through financing the necessary marketing and information campaigns, which educated the regional population about environmental protection and economic prospects.

Together with local partners the NGO WECF had implemented energy projects (solar PV and building insulation) in Georgia. Men and women had been trained to implement and maintain these technologies. The follow-up project, which was supported by URBIS, focused on the foundation of cooperatives and the training of local energy ambassadors. All in all 41 solar thermal collectors and 8 solar driers were successfully sold due to the increase of sensitisation and marketing measures.

In 2015 the "Renewable Energy Zanzibar Association" (REZA) was founded, aiming to promote the use of renewable energy technologies in Zanzibar. To this end they firstly implemented a capacity training for their new employees in 2016, to enhance the internal knowledge and know-how about renewable energies. Secondly, they started first village workshops, sensitising for the benefits and opportunities of renewable energies.

Supported by URBIS, the organisation Solar Zonder Grenzen was able to install and maintain five solarkiosks in the Tchaoudjo region, western Togo. These kiosks shall contribute to an increase in interest and awareness toward the technologies and supply people in remote areas with access to renewable electricity, e.g. to charge their mobile phones.

The Tanzanian organisation TAREA organised its tenth national renewable energy day with the slogan "Renewable Energy Opportunities for Improving Livelihoods and Saving Environment" in June 2015. As in the years before, experts as well as regular visitors visited exhibitions and workshops and were informed about the advantages and challenges of renewable energy technologies as well as on how to procure quality renewable energy products.

In 2014 SOFI's WORLD started a pilot project. They assisted Kenyan farmers in the installation of biogas plants through the foundation of support groups (so-called Merry-Go-Round groups). Members payed fixed small contributions in the group's common account. About once a month, the gathered sum was payed to one member, who could then afford to install a biogas plant. Every month, another member benefited from the collective money. The goal of the project was to overcome inhibitions to access credit facilities and provide more Kenyan farmers with access to biogas plants. The pilot project was very successful: just in 2014, already six such support groups with a total of 46 members applied for admission to the project.

URBIS and the Association for ecological building Leipzig e.V. have already been partners for many years. We at URBIS support the association in their efforts to equip the social facilities of the Caritas in Temeswar, Romania, with solar thermal plants. Moreover, the association holds workshops for local technicians and offers vocational training for young people on the production of flat plate collectors.

The Tanzanian organisation TAREA organised a national renewable energy day in June 2013. In exhibitions, workshops and site visits experts as well as regular visitors were informed about the advantages and challenges of renewable energy technologies as well as on how to procure quality renewable energy products.