Women bringing solar energy to their communities in Guatemala

Barefoot College Latinoamérica – Guatemala

In rural communities in Guatemala, turning on a light when night falls can change the course of a life. It allows studying, working, moving more safely, and leaving behind polluting, costly, and unsafe forms of lighting.

Between July and August, the solar engineers trained by Barefoot College Latinoamérica installed 170 home solar systems in five communities — San Rabinac, Lancetillo, Monte María, Sancapech, and Nimlajacoc — bringing clean energy to more than 1,000 people.

But what makes this process truly special is who brings the energy: indigenous women trained as solar engineers, who not only install the systems but explain how they work to families and have the knowledge to provide follow-up, maintenance, and repairs within their own communities.

“We are very happy with the solar system. Now we can charge our phones at home and we are saving money. We also have a student in the family who is finishing her high school degree and can now use the light to do her homework,” says María Victoria Isabel Quib, from Nimlajacoc.

Each installation is much more than a panel, a battery, and some light bulbs. It is knowledge that remains in the community, and women who challenge gender roles and stereotypes to demonstrate that solutions to energy poverty can — and must — be built from within.