Many people rely heavily on subsistence farming in the rural parts of the world’s least developed countries (LDCs). Some people manage to turn this way of living into a full-time job, transforming their talents in subsistence farming into an agricultural output that makes it to the market. Once families establish market palpability with their produce, they start profiting from their harvest and creating better livelihoods for themselves and next of kin, aspiring for their children to aim higher. This is the case of Sandra Suubi, 19.

Suubi at her grandmother's residence in the outskirts of Arua City in Northern Uganda. © UNCDF / Nasser AlQatami

Suubi is a high school student aiming to be the first college enrollee in her family. She came from a humble beginning in the rural outskirts of one of Uganda’s newest cities, Arua. Arua is known for its extensive agriculture, mainly focusing on growing food crops such as millet, potatoes, beans and cassava. Other cash crops include tobacco and groundnuts. Some people also make money through freshwater fishing in nearby rivers branching out of the West Nile.

Suubi is in advanced levels at St. Kizito Secondary School and has applied for admission into Kyambogo University, one of the largest public Universities in Uganda with 150+ academic programmes, facilities, and over 100 affiliate institutions. She is waiting for the University to make a decision on her admission.

Suubi, like many youths in Northern Uganda, is aspiring to leave for her college tenure and come back with the skills and knowledge to expand her family business or general needs; however, she does not want to leave the elderly in her family behind without making sure they are taken care of.

Suubi wants to ensure that her grandmother, Yulia Kayo, 74, can have a proper retirement, one that is safe and sound. Kayo lives off the electric grid in a home far away from her granddaughter, with someone caring for her. At night, there is very little light, primarily from expensive small lamps or the usage of kerosene from her neighbor’s houses. One liter of kerosene costs 3,000 Ugandan shillings (approximately US$ 0.80), which means they use it mainly for necessities like cooking food, working and family events. A torch light with batteries is even more expensive to use – it is saved only for emergencies.

Recently, Kayo woke up at night and had to fetch some water without visibility, causing her to fall. Kayo sustained an injury in her arm and had bruises for months after the fall. Concerned about her grandmother’s well-being, Suubi started looking for alternative solutions to the lighting issue in the house.

Suubi’s mother informed her of a company called BrightLife. The company provides solar energy solutions with financial plans suitable for the local population in and near Arua. BrightLife is a triple-bottom-line Uganda-based social enterprise founded by global microfinance pioneer FINCA International. BrightLife unlocks economic productivity and well-being for the base of the pyramid by bringing together access to finance and access to energy. It is committed to being Uganda’s most affordable, highest-quality next-generation energy company.

“BrightLife started six years back and created employment and provided a clean solar power system in Arua. It improves the standard of living in households in the community by providing a clean power source,” explained Brenda Ayungurwoth, 28, a BrightLife Representative who works at the Arua branch.

Ayungurwoth said that they have reached over 9,000 users in the past year (as of December 2021) and continue to get more clients monthly. The company is making solutions accessible to areas that do not have electricity at affordable pricing plans.

Suubi signed up for a solar product plan suitable for her grandmother. She opted for an affordable 10-watt, four-light system with a 2-year warranty. For some months, Kayo has been using the solar system to light up the room she is staying in. As she is not working, that solar system can sustain her through the night, but should she need more energy, she can add up to seven additional panels to create an 80-watt system with the ability to power nearly 40 lights, a portable radio, a TV or additional appliances in the future.

Fortunately, Kayo has not had an accident since her granddaughter installed the solar panel for her, relying heavily on it for nighttime accessibility, making calls and charging. “Sometimes I use the lights to prepare food for the next day, and other times, when I have more charge on the solar panel than I need, my neighbors use it,” said Kayo.

Suubi's grandmother describes life before and after the solar panel from BrightLife, post-injury. © UNCDF / Nasser AlQatami

“If I have to move for my University studies, I feel better that my grandmother has the panel with her as she is less likely to have an emergency, and as I live far away, it is hard to get to her,” said Suubi.

Suubi explains that that is the least she can do for her grandmother, who cared for her throughout the years. Now that she is ready to take on a new chapter in her life, the move will be easier knowing that her grandmother has access to energy when she needs it, which not only means that her room will be lit but also that she can contact her grandmother whenever she needs to.

Should Suubi get accepted at the University, she aims to major in Clinical Medicine and become a doctor, returning to her hometown of Arua, known to help others and support her family.

“By supporting private sector companies such as BrightLife, UNCDF’s Energy programme has been able to ensure that communities such as the ones in Arua with bad grid connections and are off grid have access to energy to improve the livelihoods of the people. A combination of good quality products, dedicated sales, and technical with a payment plan enables customers to afford and upgrade their solar systems to meet their energy needs,” asserted Julius Magala, Energy Access Coordinator.

UNCDF saw great opportunity in supporting the BrightLife initiative, which has impacted the lives of more than 200,000 people.

The solar panel is the smallest that BrightLife offers, but can light up a room for the majority of the night. © UNCDF / Nasser AlQatami

“By enabling access to financing models that can improve rural women’s livelihoods through clean energy, we are able to address a myriad of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNCDF’s partnership with the Embassy of Sweden in Uganda not only empowers rural communities with access to energy, but also lights up the path towards sustainable development, brightening the future for generations to come,” said Dmitry Pozhidaev, Regional Technical Advisor & Head of Office, UNCDF in Uganda.

The Embassy of Sweden in Kampala has a broad mandate to promote Swedish-Ugandan relations through political dialogue, development cooperation, trade and investment, cultural exchange and through service to Swedish citizens. The Embassy is also accredited to the Central African Republic and Chad and provides assistance to Swedish citizens in the event of a consular crisis.

Working through the Embassy, Sweden has a long tradition of generous and ambitious development aid to Uganda, channeled through international organizations such as the UN and other partners. Within the framework of the current strategy, Sweden’s development cooperation with Uganda is contributing to greater respect for human rights and the rule of law, a stronger democracy and greater gender equality, environmentally and climate resilient sustainable development, and equitable and good health. In 2022, the Embassy celebrated 60 years of diplomatic friendship and fruitful people-to-people ties between Uganda and Sweden.

UNCDF is the United Nations' flagship catalytic financing entity for the world’s 46 LDCs. With its unique capital mandate and focus on the LDCs, UNCDF works to invest and catalyse capital to support these countries in achieving ​the sustainable growth and inclusiveness envisioned by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.

UNCDF builds partnerships with other UN organizations, as well as private and public sector actors, to achieve greater impact in development; specifically by unlocking additional resources and strengthening financing mechanisms and systems contributing to transformation pathways, focusing on such development themes as green economy, digitalization, urbanization, inclusive economies, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

A hybrid development finance institution and development agency, UNCDF uses a combination of capital instruments (deployment, financial & business advisory and catalysation) and development instruments (technical assistance, capacity development, policy advice, advocacy, thought leadership, and market analysis and scoping) which are applied across five priority areas (inclusive digital economies, local transformative finance, women’s economic empowerment, climate, energy & biodiversity finance, and sustainable food systems finance).