From the Blue Community Sunrise Movement Sierra Leone:
Across Penguia Chiefdom in Kailahun District, entire communities continue to live without electricity. For many children, education has always been limited to daylight hours because once the sun sets, learning stops. Lalehun was one of those communities.
Today, Sunrise Movement Sierra Leone is proud to share the successful completion and activation of the solar installation at the only primary and secondary schools in Lalehun through the Lalehun Solar Energy Initiative, supported by the European Union and Global Youth Mobilisation through the Youth Empowerment Fund.
For the first time, students now have access to reliable lighting for evening study, safer learning spaces, and improved educational conditions. The response from children and teachers has been deeply moving. Many students shared how they previously relied on dim traditional lamps or stopped studying entirely after school because there was no electricity at home or anywhere within the community.
This initiative demonstrates how decentralised clean energy can strengthen education equity, youth empowerment, and community resilience across underserved rural communities.
Lalehun is only the beginning. Across Penguia Chiefdom, thousands of children are still learning without electricity. The success of this model demonstrates the potential for scalable, community-led clean energy solutions that can expand educational access across underserved communities.
