Giving Compass' Take:

• Chandler Green explains why refugee camps need sustainable energy and how it can be achieved in a cost-effective manner. 

• How can philanthropists donate, invest, and otherwise support sustainable energy for refugee camps? 

• Learn more about the importance of sustainable energy for women and girls. 

With some 65.6 million people forcibly displaced from their homes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are joining forces through the ‘Become the Light’ initiative to provide lights for refugees. According to UNHCR, 9 out of 10 refugees in camps have no access to light. For these 4 million men, women, and children, many community building activities – such as sport, work, play, and reading – end when the sun goes down. That’s why light, when powered by sustainable sources like solar energy, can be transformational.

  • Energy access is a basic need and fundamental to the well-being and dignity of all people.
  • According to estimates from the Moving Energy Initiative, 20,000 displaced people die prematurely from unsafe fuels.
  • Light can improve the well-being of girls and women.
  • Sustainable energy makes good business sense.
  • We have solutions that work: The world’s first refugee camp now runs on renewable energy.

Read more about refugee camps and access to sustainable energy by Chandler Green at United Nations Foundation.