“Mission Accomplished” at Chiulo Hospital
Angola hospital gets solar energy help from “Elettrici senza Frontiere” and Prysmian Group
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It’s “Mission Accomplished.” Volunteers at Elettrici senza frontiere, a non-profit group that improves access to electricity and water in developing areas around the world, have finished installing a donated 50 KW solar energy and battery storage system at a hospital in rural Angola.
Elettrici Senza Frontiere aims to contribute to the improvement of living conditions in some areas of the developing planet and to carry out humanitarian interventions in situations of emergency health or natural disasters around the world. The Association actively collaborate internationally, joining forces with those of other solidarity organizations, contributing to humanitarian actions and training programs for the most disadvantaged populations.
Elettrici senza frontiere Project Manager Nino Cirrincione and volunteer-coordinator Pietro Carrabs returned home from the Missionary Catholic Hospital of Chiulo in the town of Ombadja last month after carrying out the final checks on the system before they officially hand it over in January.
Prysmian Group supported Elettrici senza frontiere by donating energy cables to the 234-bed hospital, which serves 300,000 people. Most of this rural population lives without access to power, water and public transport. Maternal and child mortality are extraordinarily high, making the hospital a vital lifeline for the community. The new solar mini-grid replaces outdated and obsolete electricity lines and will guarantee a steady flow of electricity, particularly in the operating rooms, delivery rooms and the 'Casa de Espera' maternity ward, which hosts women coming from more than 10 km away from the Hospital (70%). About 40% of women stay in the ward for 4 to 6 weeks.
Mission “Angola 2019” started last year on March 7, when a freight container left Rome bound for Chiulo carrying the materials needed for the mini-grid. Field installation started in May. Other sponsors besides Prysmian include BTicino, NGO “Doctors with Africa Cuamm,” Enel Green Power, Work System for components, and the Province of Trento.
The Angola project is part of Prysmian Group’s work with international NGOs to help develop local communities through the donation of cables. Through this work, Prysmian aims to support the communities where it is present.
Prysmian Group has been collaborating with Elettrici senza frontiere and Electriciens sans frontières since 2016, which currently boasts approximately 1,300 volunteers involved in 140 projects around 35 countries.
Close to 600 million people are still without access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency. Universal access to energy is one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
Prysmian Group’s commitment to sustainability incudes several projects, such as "Saponé" in Burkina Faso and "Meru Children’s Home" in Kenya, which improved conditions of access to energy for local communities.
In addition to the Chiulo Hospital, Prysmian Group has also supported the construction of numerous photovoltaic installations. In the town of Point-Sofia, Madagascar, it helped supply power to two elementary schools, a college and a healthcare facility; in Palermo, Italy, to provide electricity to a facility that is home to approximately one hundred needy individuals.
