Climate Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Chedza Solar Backpack is a clean-tech educational toolkit solution designed to address both energy poverty and climate change in off-grid and underserved communities across Africa. Developed by Ked-LiphiBw, the backpack integrates a durable solar panel, rechargeable battery system, LED lighting and USB charging ports into an everyday school backpack, enabling access to renewable electricity without reliance on fossil fuels.

In many rural African communities, students and households depend on kerosene lamps, candles or diesel generators for lighting and device charging sources that are costly, unsafe and carbon-intensive. Chedza Solar Backpack replaces these high-emission energy sources by providing a decentralized, zero-emission solar alternative that can be used daily for studying, lighting, phone charging and basic household energy needs.

Beyond emissions reduction, Chedza Solar Backpack delivers measurable social and environmental co-benefits. It improves educational outcomes by allowing students to study after dark, enhances safety by reducing indoor air pollution and fire risk and builds climate awareness through hands-on exposure to renewable energy technology. Each backpack acts as both a clean-energy device and a learning tool that demonstrates practical climate solutions at the household level.

Since its launch in 2020, Chedza Solar Backpack has been manufactured and deployed in multiple African communities, supported through partnerships with governments, NGOs, corporations and international institutions. The solution is designed for scalability and local manufacturing, enabling widespread replication while creating green jobs and supporting sustainable economic development.

By replacing fossil-fuel based lighting and charging with solar power, Chedza Solar Backpack contributes directly to greenhouse gas reduction, accelerates renewable energy adoption and empowers the next generation with practical climate solutions making it a powerful, people-centered response to the global climate crisis.

How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

['Replaces/avoids GHGs (e.g., projects that replace sources of GHGs, such as the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, transport, or other energy uses)']

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Chedza Solar Backpack directly empowers youth, students in rural communities, and other underrepresented groups who are most affected by energy poverty and limited educational opportunities. By providing access to safe, renewable lighting and charging for digital devices, the project enables students—especially those in off-grid areas—to study, complete schoolwork, and engage with technology, helping bridge educational and digital divides.

The project also fosters youth entrepreneurship and innovation through mentorship programs that train young innovators to design and develop climate-smart solutions. This approach builds skills, leadership, and economic opportunity for groups traditionally underrepresented in the climate and technology sectors.

Women are actively included both as beneficiaries and participants in our programs. Female students, innovators, and local entrepreneurs are supported through targeted training and inclusion initiatives. Leadership in Ked-LiphiBw includes women in administrative, program management, and advisory roles, ensuring diverse perspectives shape project design and implementation.

By combining education, renewable energy, and capacity-building, the project empowers marginalized groups to participate in the climate movement, amplifies their voices, and creates sustainable pathways for their inclusion in climate solutions, innovation, and decision-making processes.