The Alumni Fund has supported staff and students from Strathclyde's Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering to travel to The Gambia to install solar power systems in remote schools and health clinics where no electricity supply exists.
The Gambia Project installs and provides solar power, which in turn enhances local health and education services through benefits including improved drug refrigeration, better telecommunications and extended opening hours for schools, allowing adults the opportunity to attend evening classes and increasing study time for children.
It is also opening up the potential for the school to generate income by charging a small fee for community members to charge their mobile phones. The funds can then be reinvested in the school to provide free school meals.
Thanks to our donors, we can empower even more schools and communities in this simple but far reaching way.