We are a social enterprise that sought to invent an affordable and clean off-grid lighting system for the world’s poor. So, we created the Nuru Light, the most affordable and efficient lighting system in the world.
Our Mission
To replace the use of expensive, polluting, unhealthy, and dangerous kerosene as a source of lighting for the two billion people without access to electricity.
The Need
We work to replace kerosene because it is:
- Unaffordable: The world’s poor spend between 10-40% of their income on kerosene.
- Unhealthy: Inhaling kerosene fumes is the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.
- Environmentally Unfriendly: Kerosene produces 100 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
- Unsafe: 25% of households reported kerosene-related accidents in the last twelve-months, including fires and skin burns.
- Unfit for Purpose: Light from kerosene is dim and barely useful, not providing enough light for school children to study at night.
Where We Work
Our first country of operation in Africa is Rwanda. By the end of 2012, we plan to be in all countries of the East Africa region, including Kenya and Uganda. Combined, these countries are home to over 120 million people without electricity. We also work in India, home to over 580 million people without electricity, and we are seeking partnerships across the developing world.
Population |
Electrification rate |
Population without electricity |
GDP per capita rank
(out of 180 countries) |
GDP per capita ($) |
|
India |
1,200,000,000 |
48% |
580,000,000 |
143 |
1,017 |
Tanzania |
45,000,000 |
11% |
40,500,000 |
158 |
520 |
Kenya |
40,000,000 |
14% |
34,400,000 |
147 |
838 |
Uganda |
32,000,000 |
9% |
29,000,000 |
165 |
455 |
Rwanda |
10,000,000 |
5% |
9,500,000 |
163 |
465 |
Burundi |
8,300,000 |
2% |
8,150,000 |
180 |
138 |