Project: Light Every Birth Nigeria: Powering Maternal and Infant Health Care
Country & region/location: Nigeria, Federal Capital Territory
Category: Energy & Health
Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, accounting for 28.5% of all maternal deaths globally (WHO, 2023). A study on global healthcare access and quality ranked Nigeria 142 out of 195 countries (Lancet, 2018). Primary Health Centers provide healthcare for 70-80% of Nigerians; yet, only 6,000 of the >30,000 PHCs in Nigeria are fully functional (USAID, IHP). The lack of reliable power is an important contributor to Nigeria’s grim health statistics. Without continuous electricity, health workers cannot effectively perform procedures, administer intravenous medications, or leverage other investments in maternal-newborn health. Health workers describe their inability to monitor and treat complications and work hazards without good visibility, including contamination and injury. Traditional fossil fuel sources of light and power in rural facilities – candles, kerosene lanterns, diesel fuel generators — provide inadequate lighting and are unsustainable.
We Care Solar believes no woman should die giving life. Access to quality health care, gender equity, and a clean, healthy environment are human rights. We Care Solar addresses inequitable healthcare access by tackling the technological, infrastructure, logistic, and systemic challenges of delivering high-quality solar equipment to health facilities in need. By expanding We Care Solar’s Light Every Birth Nigeria program to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), they will install 100 immediately operational, rugged, off-grid Solar Suitcases at energy-deficient health centers. These suitcases will provide reliable power for medical lighting, emergency communication, and small medical devices, ensuring that every mother in the state can access a well-lit health center for safe childbirth.
This project will bring access to clean, renewable energy and create an enabling environment for under-resourced health centers, facilitating emergency care and improving childbirth outcomes for mothers and newborns. Midwives and doctors in facilities without reliable electricity will obtain “the power to save lives,” giving families improved access to around-the-clock emergency obstetric and newborn care at their local health facility. Installing Solar Suitcases in 100 facilities will provide enhanced obstetric care to approximately 43,600 mothers and babies annually. Further, the Solar Suitcases enable health workers to provide a range of other services, e.g., attending to accidents, treating pediatric pneumonia, wound care, etc.
Expected results:
- 100 immediately operational, rugged, off-grid Solar Suitcases installed at energy-deficient health centers
- 100 labor rooms and operating theaters from public health facilities that provide maternal-child services, equipped with reliable light and essential equipment
- 43.600 mothers and babies/year having quality delivery services, expecting to reach 436.000 in 10 years
- 2 mixed-gender (one female-led) teams with 4 solar technicians on each team certified to conduct Solar Suitcase installations, increasing local capacity and enhancing women’s empowerment through local employment in the solar sector
- 400 health workers trained in equipment use, increasing local capacity
- Improved access to clean, renewable, and reliable energy in health facilities
- Increased understanding of health facility energy needs
- Enhanced obstetric care in the long-term
