Meet the mothers of Angaradebou.

A lengthy dry season makes growing food in northern Benin incredibly difficult. SELF's Solar Market Garden combines solar-powered pumps with drip irrigation to enable year-round food production.


Access to energy:

Saves Lives

Vaccine refrigerators, medical equipment, and water purification systems can’t run without access to electricity.

Feeds Families

Solar-powered pumps ensure clean water delivery and can be combined with drip irrigation for food production.

Improves Education

Lights, computers, and internet connectivity reduce the barriers to students pursuing an education.

Increases Income

Electricity equips entrepreneurs with tools to jumpstart small business operations, creating more robust local economies.

Project Highlights

Learn about these SELF projects that need your support.

Check This Out

Reflections from COP28

Bob Freling is SELF’s Executive Director Having just returned from the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, I am encouraged by the progress achieved but soberly aware of the many challenges that must still be addressed. The meeting concluded with an agreement to transition away from fossil fuel...

Vaccine Storage: Understanding the Cold Chain

Vaccines are an essential tool for global health. Vaccination not only protects the individual but also helps limit disease spread. Developing and manufacturing vaccines is a complex undertaking, yet it’s only half the equation. Vaccines also need to be delivered to the patient in a way tha...

SELF Featured in Energies Magazine 

Gorudubu!  By Elizabeth Wilder  Joy may not be the first word that springs to mind when Westerners think about electrical power, but gorudubu (“joy” in the Bariba language) describes the feelings of the 40,000 adults and children benefiting from a new solar energy project ...

More like this

Energy poverty by the numbers

It’s about more than turning the lights on. The impacts of energy poverty span nearly every aspect of life.

25

% of people who lack safe drinking water

46

% of people who live without adequate sanitation

30

% of people who use dangerous cooking systems

37

% of people who don’t have internet access

Source: The 2022 Sustainable Development Goals Report

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SELF is a global leader in the fight against energy poverty. Since 1990, we’ve pioneered unique applications for solar energy, powering progress on food security, health care, education, gender equity, and more. 

501(c)(3) non-profit organization EIN: 52-1701564

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+1 (202) 234-7265