For rural communities in Pakistan, access to electricity is still frequently out of reach. “Pakistan faces a huge energy crisis, with over 40% of the population living off the grid, primarily in rural areas” confirms Fariel Salahuddin. “Without lights in their homes and electricity to pump water, families are left in the dark at night and women can spend up to four hours a day fetching water from distant wells.”
It was the water issue that first struck Fariel when she visited rural communities in Sindh province a few years ago. Water pumps are an expense these cash-strained communities cannot afford. And even for those who do have a pump, most function on diesel and can cost up to $400 a month to run. An energy specialist and former World Bank consultant who seemed set on a corporate career path, in 2017, Fariel founded her business to offer these communities an innovative yet down-to-earth solution: to exchange their livestock for solar water pumps.