Ollagüe, a small village close to the Bolivian border, is where we meet Janett.
Janett still remembers when the village had electricity only between 5pm and 1am. She particularly remembers the cold, as Ollagüe’s temperatures drop sharply and the only heating possible is through electricity.
Janett and her business partner (Photo: ©CIF, 2018)
Luckily, this is all in the past. Today, Ollagüe benefits from 24/7 access to energy, thanks to solar panels connected to a battery for storing energy. So, long gone are the cold winters, as the community can count on electric heaters.
Ollagüe and its community are no longer isolated from the rest of the world, as they can connect through laptops and smartphones. And Janett also points out how they finally have access to healthcare, they can refrigerate their food, feel safer as the streets are lit, and she proudly talks about her upcoming degree, obtained online. A story of true transformation.
Ollagüe, Chile (Photo: ©CIF, 2018)
“Nowadays we have electricity 24 hours a day and if the children get sick, we can ring a doctor,” she said.
For Janett and her community, the dependable electricity provided by solar panels are nothing less than life changing.
This post is sponsored by the Climate Investment Funds. See our editorial guidelines for what this means.