Zong Plans to setup Solar Charging Stations

Zong Plans to setup Solar Charging Stations

ZONG is starting a Solar charging stations in collaboration with Buksh Foundation, a leading microfinance organization, is set to light up rural lives through the project ‘Lighting a Million Lives’ that will provide solar-powered lighting to 2 villages as a start of a long term partnership. This initiative is a part of the TERI project that aims to provide lightning to a billion people worldwide through solar power.

Under the partnership, ZONG will sponsor the establishment of Solar Charging Stations in the selected villages in Chiniot District, providing solar lanterns for the use of the villagers, which can be regularly charged at the solar-charging stations. This is the first time in the country’s history that a telecom company is investing in a clean energy initiative to provide much needed lighting to those living in the depth of darkness in rural parts of the country.

[blockquote cite=”Ms Fiza Farhan, Chief Executive Officer of Buksh Foundation”] This project will help to generate female empowerment in rural areas, it will provide a Sustainable Energy Alternative for needy communities, it will increase economic capacity of the rural areas, it will also create awareness about the environment friendly energy alternates and the benefits they provide. With collaboration of Zong we will be able to have a deep impact on the lives of more than 500 individuals in Chiniot District and we are aiming to expand its scope with time
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This step will have an important socio-economic development for the country. As the solar-charging stations will be operated by women from the same villages, the project directly promotes women empowerment. Two female micro-entrepreneurs will be selected from each village to run these stations.

They will then either rent out the charged solar lanterns every evening to fellow villagers at an affordable fee, or will sell the lanterns to individual households as per their need. Further, project will contribute to improvement of education and health standards, as has been observed in other countries where the project has been implemented.

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