In an attempt to bring forward women’s empowerment, through technical and vocational training and education in the lives of various South African rural women, India’s Energy and Water Sector Education Training Authority (EWSETA) is taking off with a group of 22 South African engineering students to train them as ‘Solar Mamas’.

They will undergo solar panel installation and manufacturing training, giving them a strong base of practical and theoretical knowledge about Solar Technology. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Minister in the Presidency Responsible for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disability said, “Access to electricity should always be easily available given the important role it plays in many aspects of human life and well-being. It is an essential service, and governments must make societies function better through the provision of this kind of basic training”.

As a part of this project, 22 female students from different colleges in Limpopo, North West, and Free State Provinces of South Africa have already started training in Rajasthan, India. This project is also a stepping stone to resolving the energy crisis in South Africa. This project also aims to make these women specialized in the nuances of Solar Technology. 

This project looks at providing theoretical knowledge and also hands-on experience to these students, making them adept at solar panel technology and technical know-how.

This program came into existence as part of a resolution taken in the BRICS Women in Business meeting hosted alongside the BRICS Summit hosted by South Africa last year. The 22 female engineering students have started undergoing their training from May 1st of this year. These students are looked upon as trailblazers for a dawn of change in the renewable energy sector in rural South Africa. Let the winds of change blow towards South Africa!