Social Good Engineering Magazine: GineersNow Social Innovation GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 001 | Page 32
IEEE Smart Village
Expands Partnership
SOCIAL IMPACT ENGINEERS
IEEE Foundation
Signature Program
empowers off-grid
communities through
education and the
creation of sustain-
able, affordable, lo-
cally owned entre-
preneurial energy
businesses
IEEE Smart Village, a global humanitarian
program helping remote, energy-deprived
communities build toward sustainability with
renewable energy and technology, announced
today the expansion of their partnership
with Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE).
With this expansion, IEEE Smart Village is
supporting GHE in providing clean ener-
gy access through solar power to improve
the living standards of rural villages in the
remote Himalayan frontiers of India.
IEEE Smart Village’s investment
in GHE will specifically go toward funding
access to basic electricity, through installation
of energy efficient high lumen LED lights for
residential lighting, solar LED street lighting
for the outdoor community space, mobile
charging points and customized DC HD LED
TV for these villages which are typically lo-
cated above 13000 ft. in the Indian Himalayas
bordering countries such as Pakistan and
China.
In partnership with IEEE Smart
Village, GHE’s objective is to implement the
renewable energy and technology solutions
in a sustainable, scalable and environmentally
beneficial way—leading to an overall devel-
opment of the remote villages in the Ladakh
and Zanskar regions of India. In August 2015,
an international cast of volunteers, including
IEEE members, helped set-up DC Solar mi-
crogrids, ranging in capacity from 100 watts
(W) to 300 watts (W), to the remote ancient
village of Shingo, nestled in Hemis National
Park, in the Rumbak Valley of Ladakh, under
the banner of GHE.
To date, GHE has electrified eight
Himalayan villages and has impacted over
1800 lives directly. GHE has been instru-
mental in promoting these electrified villages
in the form of Home-Stays (Hostels) for
trekkers, who usually are seeking food and
shelter while hiking through these remote
Himalayan valleys. This has helped increase
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the income generation of these remote
communities and has provided them with
a livelihood opportunity towards a better
future.
IEEE Smart Village is a donor
supported signature program of the IEEE
Foundation with a vision to bring basic
electrical and educational services to more
than 50 million people by 2025. The program
is currently serving more than 50,000 people
through local partners in Haiti, Cameroon,
Nigeria, South Sudan, Kenya, Namibia,
Zambia and India. About IEEE IEEE, a large,
global technical professional organization,
is dedicated to advancing technology for
the benefit of humanity. Through its highly
cited publications, conferences, technology
standards, and professional and educational
activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide
variety of areas ranging from aerospace sys-
tems, computers and telecommunications to
biomedical engineering, electric power and
consumer electronics.
About IEEE Foundation As the
philanthropic arm of IEEE, the IEEE Foun-
dation inspires the generosity of donors so
it may enable IEEE programs that enhance
technology access, literacy and education, as
well as support the IEEE professional com-
munity. The IEEE Foundation, a tax-exempt
501(c)(3) organization in the United States,
fulfills its purpose by soliciting and managing
donations, recognizing the generosity of our
donors, awarding grants to IEEE grassroots
projects of strategic importance, supporting
high impact Signature Programs, serving as
a steward of donations that empower bright
minds, recognize innovation and preserve the
history of technology. With donor support,
the IEEE Foundation strives to be a leader
in transforming lives through the power of
technology and education.
Photo Source: IEEE