Energy
AVSI Foundation is committed to transforming lives through energy access, focusing on rural communities and vulnerable populations. AVSI implements renewable energy solutions to improve quality of life, boost economic resilience, and promote environmental sustainability.

Studies and field experience show that energy access and human development are directly connected. For this reason, during the last ten years AVSI has considerably increased its focus on the energy sector, becoming one of the official implementing partner of Energising Development (EnDev) program, member of the Clean cooking alliance and of the RES4Africa Academy.
AVSI is recognised for its sustained proximity and deep knowledge of local communities and for its peculiar integrated approach based on education, awareness raising and value chain support.
Program components
Productive use of energy
AVSI equips entrepreneurs and small businesses with access to electricity and essential resources to start and grow income-generating activities. This approach empowers local economies and creates demand for electricy, building a sustainable, mutually beneficial energy market.
AVSI’s productive use of energy initiative fosters entrepreneurship by combining energy access with business training and financial tools. Small businesses are provided with:
- Business & financial skills training for effective electricity use.
- Access to energy-efficient appliances through partnerships with suppliers and financial support, reducing startup costs and increasing productivity.
- Customized financial products developed with microfinance institutions coupled with such as beneficiaries’ tailored subsidies
Achievements
- 971 small businesses supported
- 298 appliances acquired
- 32 solar plants performances enhanced through productive use of energy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Rural Electrification
Through partnerships with renewable energy companies and financial institutions, AVSI expands energy access to hard-to-reach areas, enhancing community purchasing power and creating employment opportunities. AVSI uses a market systems development approach to facilitate rural electrification in challenging environments. Key aspects for successful rural electrification projects are:
- Supply & demand-side subsidies to make clean energy affordable.
- Community-based market insights for energy companies, enabling product and service adaptation.
- Gender-centered sales force capacity building
Achievements
- 24 partnerships with energy providers
- 10,212 solar products distributed to last-mile customers
- 2,470 trained sales agents
Energy for Institutions
Reliable energy is essential for quality public services and for improving health and educational outcomes. AVSI works with schools, health centers and community hubs to guarantee operation and maintenance of solar systems, ensuring thus sustainability of the intervention. Such models enable institutions to sustainably operate and maintain the acquired energy systems guaranteeing their durability over time.
Achievements
Innovative Governance Models to support system maintenance developed for 8 health centers and 26 schools
Energy Efficiency & Environmental Sustainability
AVSI promotes energy conservation and waste reduction through education, appliance replacement programs, and recycling initiatives, reducing costs of electricity and environmental impact. Projects related to energy efficiency focuses on the following main interventions:
- Community education on energy efficiency through workshops, school events, and media.
- Appliance replacement programs to replace outdated appliances with efficient models.
- Recycling initiatives incentivizing waste collection and responsible energy use.
Achievements
- Over 100,000 people reached through energy safety awareness
Energy education
Energy education is crucial to empowering individuals and communities to make informed energy-related decisions and for AVSI it is a cross cutting topic. By raising awareness and providing knowledge on energy sources, uses, benefits, and sustainable practices, AVSI helps communities gain the skills to make responsible choices about energy consumption, production, and conservation.
However, AVSI also recognizes the need to increase the availability of skilled technicians in the communities where it operates to guarantee the ability to install and repair products as requested by the growing renewable energy market. The RES4Africa Academy, a vocational capacity building project led by RES4 Africa and co-founded by AVSI Foundation, Strathmore University and Saint Kizito Vocational School, is creating a skilled workforce ready to deploy decentralized renewable energy solutions across the East African region and beyond, further enhancing energy access in rural communities.