The man who brought (solar) light to Ethiopia

A decade after starting his one-man mission to get solar lighting to Ethiopian villages, Samson Tsegaye Lemma and his team have constructed solar projects in four villages, distributed over 35,000 solar systems throughout the country, and trained over 65 solar technicians. Inspired by Samson’s achievements, the Honnold Foundation established a partnership and awarded a $50,000 grant to SEF in 2017. Today, Samson and his team intend to open additional branches in other regions of Ethiopia (particularly one in Arba Minch) and seek to expand SEF’s services in other parts of the country. In 2016, Samson received the Nuclear-Free Future Award in the category of Solutions for his achievements. Read the feature story.