Leading renewable energy innovator Flow Power is helping to transform lives in some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities through its partnership with Pollinate Group, a global social enterprise that empowers women micro-entrepreneurs in India and Nepal.
The Australian energy retailer is supporting Pollinate to train and support women from marginalised communities to distribute products such as solar lights and fans, water filters, clean cooking stoves and sanitary products, resulting in cleaner, safer and healthier communities.
Flow Power is funding the provision of solar lights for 2000 households in India and Nepal, with the goal of supporting 11,200 people to access clean and reliable electricity, reducing CO2 emissions by 10,468 tonnes and fuel costs by more than $190,000.
“We are thrilled to partner with Pollinate Group and support their work providing access to safe and sustainable energy solutions to underprivileged communities. We’re passionate about the opportunities clean energy creates, and this partnership with Pollinate offers those opportunities to communities where clean energy can lift people out of poverty and improving their health outcomes.”
Declan Kelly, Regulatory Policy and Corporate Affairs Manager
“We are excited to partner with Flow Power to make a deep and lasting impact on these under-served communities by helping them generate income sustainably. The program will minimise their usage of biomass, coal and harmful fuels such as kerosene, replacing them with solar products.”
Sujatha Ramani, CEO of Pollinate Group
Pollinate has set an ambitious goal of distributing 1.5 million solar products by the end of 2025, empowering 10,000 women, and improving the lives of 10 million people across India and Nepal. The products, distributed by the micro-entrepreneurs, or “Suryamukhi”, have to date helped communities save more than $31 million and reduced 1,540,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions.
Pollinate was founded in 2012 by six young Australians wanting to address poverty and improve access to clean, safe energy in India, where they saw marginal communities using toxic fuels such as kerosene. Their concept eventually evolved to focus on women as the agents of change.
“In the past five years we’ve worked with 1800 women who are really standing up in their communities as role models. And what we’ve found consistently is that once you lift one woman up and other women in the community can see what that looks like, it’s a massive ripple effect, and the result is these empowered women are able to lift their communities out of poverty. The women are the heroes of our work.”
Joe Manger, Pollinate Group’s Philanthropy Manager
The Suryamukhis, meaning “sunflowers” in Hindi, are a diverse group of women aged 18-54 from various regions across India and Nepal. They include:
- Arbiya, the eldest among her five siblings, completed 10th grade and enrolled in a stitching course to establish her career and support her family. Arbiya invested her income from distributing clean energy products into purchasing stitching materials. Her determination and resourcefulness are paving the way for her family to climb out of extreme poverty.
- Sunita is an acid attack survivor who lives in Baranagar, West Bengal. Her husband runs a fast-food shop, where they both work. To improve their financial situation and help give their child an education, Sunita sells clean energy products via Pollinate, using the digital app to run and expand her business. She also uses social media to advertise the products in her network and increase her sales.
- Chandrakala lives with her two daughters and mother, while her husband supports the family by working in a village. Chandrakala’s monthly income as a school helper was not enough to meet their daily household expenses but through Pollinate Group, she is augmenting her income, motivated by her dream of ensuring a quality education for her daughters.
Media contact
Please find Flow Power’s media release available for download here.
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Helen Gibney, Communication Manager
About Flow Power
Flow Power is an electricity, technology and engineering company reshaping energy for Australia. Since 2009 Flow Power has found new and better ways to deliver reliable, renewable energy that brings costs down and puts the power back in customers’ hands.
Flow Power’s renewable energy portfolio encompass wind, solar and storage.
Flow Power is one of Australia’s fastest-growing energy retailers serving some of our best-loved organisations including The Sydney Opera House, Snack Brands, Westpac, The City of Sydney, Asahi Beverages, Newcastle Airport and Pernod Ricard Winemakers.
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