SunPower Zimbabwe

Engineers Without Borders Uppsala and partner FACE Zimbabwe ensures that the maternity ward of Rusape General Hospital has enough power to run its facilities through the installation of a solar panel system. The project was finalized in September 2022.

Adequate health care is the foundation of a flourishing community, without basic healthcare, it is difficult to develop further and sustainably. The maternity ward at Rusape General Hospital is the largest in Eastern Zimbabwe and provides vital services to many children, newborns, and expectant mothers. The clinic is open daily and provides front-line support for mothers and children who are HIV+, in addition to providing support and education in the prevention of HIV. Like many hospitals in Zimbabwe, Rusape General Hospital struggled financially. Due to an unreliable grid connection, the hospital was in need of running generators to power the hospital. This has led to funds being redirected from medicine, and other vital hospital services, in order to buy fuel to power the hospital.

The maternity ward is run by a team of dedicated, and hardworking individuals. However, they face many challenges along with a very restrictive budget which means that medicine is often in short supply. Before the initiation of the SunPower project, there was only one semi-functioning incubator for prematurely born babies, and resources, in general, were in short supply. This project has reduced the financial pressure on the ward, and provided a stable energy/electricity supply; to avoid blackouts during surgery or in the incubator units. It has also increased awareness of the benefits of solar energy, especially among women.

About the project

The Renewable Energy Project (REP) was introduced as a result of trying to meet the UN Sustainable development goals. EWB-SWE in partnership with FACE Zimbabwe engaged in installing an off-grid stand-alone DC 3KW Solar panel system to provide the maternity ward with electricity. The project was conducted remotely, without any site visits, which was one of the main goals of the REP project. It resulted in savings as funding for travel/accommodation could be used to create additional value for the partner organization and the community.
Another major success factor when conducting the project remotely was the EWB-SWE team and the FACE team worked as one team, with a strong engagement between partners and community stakeholders throughout the running of the project.