Every year, close to 300,000 women and one million newborns die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth – primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and SE Asia. The health statistics for Nigeria are sobering. With one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world; Nigeria accounts for 19% of all maternal deaths and its healthcare system ranks among the world’s worst.

The majority of obstetric deaths—caused by haemorrhage, infection, eclampsia, obstructed labor, and unsafe abortion—could be prevented with access to timely emergency obstetric care. One factor determining the quality of care is often overlooked: power supply. Light and electricity are critically important for maternal-newborn care. Yet hundreds of thousands of health centers lack reliable power. In SSA, the WHO reported that 72% of facilities lack reliable electricity; 26% have no electricity at all. 43% of Nigeria’s PHCs are not connected to the national grid. Of the 57% that are, the majority receive electricity <5 hours a day.

Project: Light every Birth Nigeria

Country & region/location: Nigeria, Kebbi State

Category: Energy & Health

Electricity is “a critical enabler of universal access to healthcare and universal health coverage”—essential for medical lighting, electronic equipment and ICT devices. Without continuous electricity, health workers are unable to provide prompt, high-quality maternal-newborn healthcare. Most PHCs can only operate safely during daylight hours. Some resort to delivering babies and performing surgery by candlelight or flashlight, hospitals postpone or cancel c-sections and other procedures, and patients are turned away at night. Many women deliver at home, unattended, increasing their risk of complication, morbidity and mortality. 

We Care Solar designs clean energy solutions for energy-deficient health facilities, providing the power to save lives. Their innovative programs for maternal health care make solar power simple, accessible, and sustainable. Through the Light Every Birth Nigeria program, We Care Solar will equip 60 energy-deficient health centers in Kebbi State with immediately-operational, rugged, off-grid Solar Suitcases—providing reliable renewable power for medical lighting, emergency communication and small medical devices. We Care Solar will collaborate with government ministries, international health partners and local solar installers to increase health worker skills and lead training programs that build local capacity in solar installation, usage and maintenance. This program will bring access to clean, renewable energy and create an enabling environment for under-resourced health centers, facilitating emergency care and improving childbirth outcomes for mothers and newborns.

Expected results:

• 60 primary health centers (PHC) with labor rooms equipped with reliable and essential power from the Solar Suitcases, each including medical grade LED lights, headlamps, infrared thermometer, fetal Doppler
• 6 local technicians trained in operation and maintenance
• 240 health workers trained in equipment use (4 per PHC)
• Mothers/newborns served: 32.400/year (270 mothers + 270 newborns per facility * 60 facilities)
• Improvement in capacity and quality of Maternal/Child Health care and reductions in maternal and new-born mortality
• Cost-savings to staff and patients (can amount to $500-1.000 per year per facility for candles, kerosene, phone charging, fuel/repair for generators)
• Additional community benefits of avoidance of air pollution, fire risk, and greenhouse gasses 

Impact (results)