About the partnership
The remote island of Aranuka, with a population of 1,057, is one of the hottest and most drought-prone of the islands of Kiribati. On the island, there is very limited access to potable water. Women are impacted most by this, because they are primarily responsible for collecting and treating water, and undertaking the tasks that use most of the available water. On Aranuka, women spend between 4 – 6 hours a day collecting water using buckets and hand pumps.
Aranuka does not have grid electricity and current sources of power generation, when available, are non-renewable, carbon-emitting, and expensive. Lack of access to electricity and water impacts health and livelihoods, challenges this partnership seeks to address.
About the initiative
The 22-month partnership sets out to empower local women to enable greater access to electricity and water on Kiribati’s remote outer island, Aranuka.
It will deliver an off-grid energy solution on Aranuka using a model that is locally appropriate, sustainable over the long term, builds the capacity of women, and provides solar- powered energy to communities that do not currently have access to electricity.
It aims to improve access to fresh water, as well as safe and renewable energy, helping children better engage in education and allowing greater productivity, economic activity, and practice of culture, among community members. It will achieve this by supplying and installing low-maintenance solar-powered portable batteries, as well as solar powered water pumps and water storage tanks, and establishing women-led infrastructure management committees who are trained in maintaining the equipment. It will also establish a household levy scheme to provide funding for the initiative over the long term.
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