When the Origin Energy Foundation started working with Australian charity SolarBuddy, the vision was simple: to help illuminate the lives of children living in energy poverty. Since 2018, Origin volunteers have run SolarBuddy Lights for Learning JuniorBuddy education sessions at schools around Australia, assembling solar lights with students. The result is the donation of more than 8,000 solar lights to help children living in energy poverty study after dark.
Energy poverty is a global issue with relatively low awareness. Currently, 789 million people in the world are estimated to live in energy poverty or without reliable access to electricity. Even in Australia, there are around 500,000 people living in remote communities without safe or reliable access to electricity.
This issue primarily effects remote Indigenous communities, where at night streets may be completely dark and homes can go without power for days at a time.
Research has shown that with SolarBuddy lights, children are studying up to 78 per cent longer and reliance on kerosene and other dangerous lighting fuels has fallen by 80 per cent. Since these fuels are one of the largest expenditures for many households, families are also able to reallocate income towards food, healthcare, education and other necessities.
In 2021, the Origin Energy Foundation became the founding partner in SolarBuddy’s Illuminating Communities initiative. The program focuses on creating opportunities for young people and providing solar power to communities impacted by energy poverty.
For some people on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, the lack of lighting means when the sun goes down there are limited options for study and extra-curricular activities.
Working with SolarBuddy, the Origin Energy Foundation funded the installation of SMART solar-powered LED lights at the Tagai State Secondary College’s multi-purpose activity centre on Thursday Island, where young people can safely come together at night for arts, sporting and cultural events.
Suberia Bowie, Principal at the Torres Strait’s only high school, said, “Our new solar lighting for our multi-purpose centre means everything for our kids. It means creating the opportunity for them to participate in after school and cultural activities, activities outside of school and on the weekend, performing arts and other events. It really means a lot.”
Supported by Origin volunteers, the students at Tagai State also participated in SolarBuddy’s Make 2, Keep 1, Gift 1 program, where students make two SolarBuddy lights, keep one, and gift one to another student living in energy poverty in nearby Papua New Guinea.
Origin Energy Foundation’s Ruth Lee said, “Through this program we are tying together our focus on education with an innovative renewable energy solution, which is a win-win for the community. We could not be prouder to be involved in this program.”
SolarBuddy General Manager, Billie Murphy said, “Our vision at SolarBuddy is to illuminate the futures of all children and a key way is through education. Our program has empowered and inspired more than 130,000 students globally and we are thrilled to be able to expand this program to more students who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in hands-on STEM learning like this.”
