GFM Renweables Foundation - A2E Fund

St. John of God Hospital serves the population of Meru County, in central Kenya, providing essential primary healthcare to roughly 775,000 people. The hospital plays a vital role for residents of Tigania East and neighboring areas, where limited infrastructure and frequent power outages pose serious challenges to healthcare delivery. Electricity shortages disrupt essential services, from diagnostics to maternity care, and directly endanger patient safety, especially during emergencies or surgeries.

Kenya
Tigania East, Meru County 

The project aims to install a reliable photovoltaic (PV) solar energy system with battery storage to guarantee uninterrupted power across key hospital departments, including maternity, outpatient, surgical, laboratory, and radiology units. The solar system will operate independently from the unstable national grid, with the existing grid and diesel generator maintained as backup. In addition to powering lifesaving medical equipment, the system will support solar-powered cold storage for food preservation and an autonomous water pumping system, ensuring reliable utilities throughout the facility.

Beyond the technical installation, the initiative will strengthen community engagement through the creation of self-sustaining cultivation gardens managed by local women, supported by solar-powered irrigation. The gardens will supply food for patients and staff, with any surplus stored in solar-powered refrigeration to enhance nutrition and food security. By delivering clean and stable energy, the project will improve healthcare quality, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and lower emissions—while promoting women’s economic empowerment, job creation, and long-term community resilience.
 

Expected outputs:

• Reliable, affordable solar power for key hospital areas — including maternity, maternal and child health, outpatient services, surgical units, laboratories, radiology, and other critical departments — as well as for cold storage and water pumping
• Introduction of cold storage (solar-powered freezer) and water pumping, to improve food and medical supply management
• Establishment of small-scale solar-pumped food gardens within the hospital, managed by local women’s groups (harvests will be used for patients and staff, with surplus stored in solar-powered cold storage for own consumption or sale)
• Training on sustainable farming, efficient water use, and food security practices
• Capacity-building workshop for hospital technical staff on solar system operation and maintenance
• Enabling continuous healthcare services, night deliveries, and surgeries
• Improved healthcare quality and strengthened community resilience
• Greater food security and reduced food waste, ensuring access to nutritious food even during low-yield seasons
• Estimated annual energy savings of €20.000, with lower fossil fuel dependency and reduced emissions
• Enhanced local capacity in renewable energy management
• Women’s empowerment through income generation and local employment