Susanna Simango & Village Solar
Susanna Simango is the co-founder of Village Solar, a social enterprise launched in 2023 to expand clean energy access while creating income opportunities for rural women in Malawi. Working through Village Savings and Loan Associations, Village Solar provides solar lamps and home systems, group-based financing, and business support so women can become independent sales agents. Since launching, the initiative has trained 45 women who have distributed more than 800 solar lamps and home systems, reaching 4,000 people with clean, affordable energy and reducing reliance on kerosene.
In 2024, Malawi’s foreign currency crisis exposed the country’s dependence on imported solar products. In response, Village Solar created Kwathu Kuwale (“Let My Village Have Light”), an initiative to locally produce solar lamps using bamboo. Through this program, 15 women from Chimwaza Village will form Malawi’s first women-led energy cooperative, jointly owning and managing a solar workshop and leading the shift toward locally made, sustainable energy solutions.
With a $500 Giving Joy microgrant, Village Solar will complete the most technical phase of the Kwathu Kuwale program, providing hands-on solar training for the 15 rural women in Chimwaza. The grant will fund seven weeks of practical instruction, essential tools and materials, and training-related costs, enabling participants to assemble, test, and repair bamboo solar lamps using shared soldering irons, digital multimeters, and guided practice sessions.
This training builds real, income-generating skills while expanding access to clean, reliable light in a community where most families rely on subsistence farming and women have limited economic opportunities. Over 21 hands-on sessions, participants will gain experience in soldering, electrical testing, troubleshooting, and quality control - preparing them to transition into a women-led energy cooperative that will locally produce and sell solar lamps for the first time in Malawi.
Each trained woman is expected to assemble 20–25 lamps per month, collectively reaching up to 4,500 households in the first year. By replacing kerosene and candles with solar lighting, the project improves health, safety, and education outcomes while strengthening women’s leadership, household incomes, and community resilience. Training will take place between May and June 2026, following the setup of a solar-powered workshop, with production beginning in July 2026.
