Women in remote Vanuatu community taking charge of their solar power

Sixty households in Vanuatu’s remote Lawital village now have access to solar power, thanks to an Australian Government partnership with ActionAid Vanuatu, PowerWells and the Women I TokTok Together (WITTT) Network.

Solar units are provided to households through the WITTT network at an affordable, monthly rent-to-own basis, with all funds going directly back into their community fund.

The partnership is not just powering homes – it’s empowering women with the skills and confidence to take ownership of their energy needs.

Last month, PowerWells visited Lawital to train local women in installing and maintaining their solar units. As PowerWells Founder, Bradley Clair said: “For many, this was their first time using a screwdriver – let alone power tools, multimeters, wire strippers, and soldering irons! But by the end of the training, they were assembling and installing solar systems like pros.”

Helen Bong, Finance and Operations Manager of ActionAid Vanuatu noted: “It was an exciting day. Every mama (women) in the community wanted to learn and practice. Most of them didn’t even know which wire was positive or negative, but they were eager to understand and do the job.”

All 115 Lawital households will have solar by June 2025.

Find out more about the partnership here.

The Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships is part of the Australian Government’s Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP) initiative to expand the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific’s (AIFFP) climate investments. It does this by partnering with businesses to deliver reliable and sustainable renewable energy to remote and rural communities in the Pacific and Timor-Leste, implemented by the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP). 

Through AIFFP, the Australian Government has recently launched the first grant round for REnew Pacific, a new $75 million long-term off-grid renewable energy program to support communities like this one across the region, to mitigate, adapt and build resilience against climate change.

Visit REnew Pacific’s website to find out more: https://renewpacific.com.au/