Education through energy: a transformative project for St. Maria Goretti Girls Secondary School in Malawi
In a world where access to energy remains a major challenge for many communities, education can become a powerful vector for transforming lives. Thanks to Energy Assistance asbl-vzw and the ENGIE Foundation, an exemplary action has been carried out in Malawi to provide a sustainable and reliable energy solution at St. Maria Goretti Girls Secondary School, a school for young girls located in Lilongwe, the country’s capital.
A mission to ensure a bright future
St. Maria Goretti Girls Secondary School is home to around 450 boarding students. Frequent and prolonged load shedding on the national grid ESCOM (Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi), compromised the organization of evening classes and computer access. In order to guarantee quality teaching, there was an urgent need for reliable and sustainable energy sources.
With this in mind, the Energy Assistance asbl-vzw team implemented a project to secure the school’s power supply with a photovoltaic system.
A sustainable, affordable source of energy
Energy requirements were carefully assessed, and the system sizing was designed to power lighting, computers and essential equipment in the academic parts of the facility, such as classrooms and administration.
The photovoltaic system comprises 20 solar panels (11.1 kWp), 2 hybrid inverters (10 kW) to guarantee a stable power supply and 3 lithium batteries for a storage capacity of 15.36 kWh.
A significant impact on students
This project does more than simply provide energy for lighting. It opens up unprecedented opportunities for the 450 students at St. Maria Goretti, giving them access to an optimized learning environment. The computer room is now powered up, facilitating Internet access and modern management of the school. Students can continue their studies well into the night, increasing their chances of success.
These inspiring and ambitious young women, who dream of becoming midwives, lawyers or community leaders, are now better equipped to realize their aspirations. They are ready to take charge of their future and make a positive impact on the world around them.
Thanks to our four volunteers, Geneviève R., Yasmine L., Michaël dM and Benoît J.
Thanks to their commitment in the field, in collaboration with Sr. Sreelatha, head of the school, and the local equipment supplier, they brought much more than light to these 450 pupils: together, they shared precious know-how and lived an enriching human experience.
Want to find out more? Our 4 volunteers tell you all about their mission:
With this in mind, our volunteers Aziz S. and Kadja D. travelled to southern Morocco, between Taroudant and El Haouz. In this region still badly affected by the earthquakes of 2023, (re)providing access to energy and water will be envisaged through solar installations and pumps, notably :
