ENLIGHTEN WOMEN- ENLIGHTEN COMMUNITIES

Solar energy provides electricity and reduces carbon emissions, but we also see it as a catalyst to create employment, boost income and provide self-reliant solutions for village communities. We train middle-aged women from rural villages to become solar engineers. In partnership with local and national organizations, we establish relationships with village elders, who help identify trainees and implement community support. 
Trainees are often illiterate or semi-literate women who maintain strong roots in their villages and play a major role in community development, bringing sustainable electricity to remote, inaccessible villages. Solar electrification reduces CO2 emissions, slows the negative impacts of deforestation and decreases air pollution from burning firewood, candles and kerosene.

Bindi International Association

Bindi International Association has been dedicated to training women from rural villages to become solar engineers since 2015. We work in partnership with the Government of India and various ground partners to select and send women from different regions to our center in Harmara, India. So far, we have trained 700 women and provided electricity to over 3,000 households.

Our approach involves partnering with local organizations to identify off-grid, preferably indigenous, last-mile communities that are interested in our work. We then work together with these communities to establish solar committees and select eligible women based on our criteria. These brave women become our Solar Engineers, undergoing a rigorous five-month solar training program at our campus in Harmara.

The solar training program is designed specifically for semi-literate women, without traditional education, and without a common language. The methodology involves color-coding, repetition, hands-on learning, and support from Master Trainers with similar rural backgrounds. Through this approach, every woman is able to master the skills required to become a solar engineer.

With the opening of our Vocational Training Center in Harmara, Solar Engineers can now learn the same technical solar skills without the challenge of travelling to and living in a foreign context. They are fully equipped with the skills to bring sustainable energy to their remote communities and keep the lights on for years to come.

Women Prosper Initiative (WPI)

Women Prosper is an initiative that combines technology, market strengthening, and skill development to make a positive impact on the environment, women, communities, and rural populations.

Our program focuses on vocational training, personal development, access to technology, marketing support, and capital resources. Our ultimate goal is to bring sustainable solar products to rural areas in India on a larger scale. Through our solar lending program, we offer smart subsidies to those who need it most, ensuring equitable access to energy for all in India. At the same time, we establish a network of Solar Women Entrepreneurs, transforming communities and creating new opportunities.

Building upon the success of our Solar Engineers initiative, Women Prosper creates a sustainable ecosystem for women entrepreneurs. We reduce the digital divide in rural India by promoting digital payments for business activities. We also provide tools like credit eligibility and credit scoring tailored to the needs of social enterprise products, making customers credit-worthy.

With Women Prosper, we envision a future where women lead in renewable energy entrepreneurship, driving energy aspirations and wealth creation in their communities. By offering vocational training, personal development, and access to capital, we empower women to become renewable energy leaders.

This gallery features some moments of our Solar Engineers in action. These women have strong family values and they work within their communities to innovate solutions at their own level, helping the ones they love the most.