Energy for all: Michiyo Yamada on building gender-responsive systems of power

As part of our Women in Power series, we are celebrating the remarkable leaders driving the Pacific and Timor-Leste’s clean energy transition.

Michiyo Yamada has spent more than 15 years working at the intersection of gender equality and development across Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Today, as Asia Pacific Program Manager at Action on Poverty (AOP) based in Sydney, she is helping drive inclusive, community-led projects in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Viet Nam, Indonesia and Cambodia.

With a Masters degree in International Development and Social Anthropology from the University of Guelph in Canada, Michiyo’s career has centred on gender-based violence prevention, humanitarian programming and social inclusion. She has held regional roles in Southeast Asia and with the UN Women Multi-Country Office in Fiji, working in countries such as Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Maldives.

One of her most impactful initiatives she’s worked on is a solar-powered water access project on the island of Aranuka in Kiribati, delivered by Action on Poverty in partnership with the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific Kiribati (FSPK) and PowerTech Energy thorough the BPP. The project addresses two pressing needs: water and electricity.

“The community identified water as a major issue, especially access and quality. At the same time, there was no electricity in schools and maneabas (community meeting houses) on the island,” Michiyo explains. “Through the BPP, we saw an opportunity to respond to both needs using solar power.”

Stepping into the renewable energy sector for the first time with this project, Michiyo quickly recognised the importance of bringing a gender lens to the work.

“Energy isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about people, and especially about the women who manage daily life around it,” she shared.

The project delivers solar-powered water pumps and new wells across five communities, alongside lighting in schools and community houses. But for Michiyo, the most transformative element is the infrastructure management committees, where women now make up the majority of its members. “These committees manage the solar assets, collect levies for maintenance, and receive training in financial literacy, governance and gender. It’s service delivery and it’s leadership development.”

She adds, “We’re trying to build women’s confidence and leadership while also ensuring the sustainability of the systems. These women aren’t just beneficiaries; they are custodians of the infrastructure.”

The community is already experiencing the benefits of the project.

With easier access to clean water, women save time and physical effort, opening up opportunities for income generation. Communities are also beginning home gardening, which supports better nutrition and health.

“Previously, community members were drawing water with small buckets multiple times a day,” Michiyo said. “Now, solar pumps make it easier for everyone, including the elderly and people with a disability to access water.”

Michiyo acknowledges that entering a male-dominated sector like energy as a gender specialist can feel daunting. But her presence and leadership demonstrate the value of diverse perspectives. “Women need to be involved,” she says. “Women bring lived experience and insight that’s critical to making these solutions work for everyone.”

Her message to young women is clear: “There’s a lot of opportunity in this space. Be curious. Get involved. Your perspectives matter, not just in participation, but in leading these efforts.”

To donors and stakeholders, Michiyo offers this recommendation: “Women must be seen not only as users of energy but as leaders and designers of it. Gender and social inclusion should be integrated as essential, not optional components of any energy program.”

In redefining what leadership in renewable energy looks like, Michiyo Yamada shows that power is not only about infrastructure but also about people. Her work reminds us that truly sustainable energy solutions must also be inclusive, locally owned and community-powered.

Michiyo’s story is part of the broader partnership that is empowering local women and enabling greater access to clean energy and water in Kiribati. Learn more.

Across the region, women are stepping into roles that are reshaping how energy is generated, managed and shared. Their leadership is not only powering homes, schools and businesses with clean energy, it is building stronger, more resilient communities and showing what an inclusive energy future looks like.

We’re proud to showcase some of these remarkable leaders through our Women in Power series, which highlights women powering change through the Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships program, delivered by the Business Partnerships Platform and supported by the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), a $350 million Australian Government initiative delivered by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP). These partnerships are pilots for REnew Pacific, the Australian Government’s $75 million investment in off-grid renewable energy for remote communities across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.