Gloucestershire Energy Partner Amber provides Kenyan school with planet-friendly energy
28 March 2024
Gloucestershire Cricket's Official Energy Management Partner, Amber, joined forces with Upendo Junior School in Kiminini, Kenya, to solve the issue of electricity access and power reliability. Through their not-for-profit arm, Power2Africa, and generous support from some of their clients, Amber raised £55,000 to fund a wide-ranging renewable energy project at the school.
The roof-mounted solar panel system installed at the school is set to be life-changing for pupils and the wider community. The project means Upendo Junior School is now self-sufficient in terms of electricity, providing clean, reliable power to light up classrooms, ventilate facilities, and operate their computer lab. Their water pump, the only source of water for the school, is now solar-powered, significantly improving the sanitation of its facilities.
Huw Mitchell, Strategic Partnerships Development Manager at Amber, said:
“It was also great to be able to bring together different parts of the Amber family on the Upendo School project.
"A number of our sporting partners, including the Welsh Rugby Union, Gloucester Rugby and Gloucestershire, Glamorgan and Warwickshire County Cricket Clubs, heard about what we were doing and wanted to get involved.
"With the help of our friends at DHL Express, we sent out a large box of sports kit which was gratefully received by the children in Kiminini.”
Joe Kaniecki, Head of Commercial at Gloucestershire Cricket, added:
"We are extremely proud that Gloucestershire could play a small part in supporting Amber's renewable energy project at Upendo Junior School.
It's a fantastic initiative that will go a long way to solving electricity reliability issues for the school and local community in Kiminini. We can't wait to see what the next Power2Africa project will be."
About Power2Africa
Power2Africa, the not-for-profit arm of Net Zero Energy management consultancy, Amber, has a mission to provide underserved communities in Africa with free access to electricity. By partnering with schools and communities, Power2Africa commissions clean energy projects to bring access to free electricity, changing lives in the process. Funding for P2A projects comes from Amber’s profits, as part of its B Corp commitment and from clients.
