Innovation: Africa's Solar-Powered Water and Light Projects Spark Education Boom in Karamoja

Israeli NGO, Innovation: Africa has been transforming some of Africa's remote communities through solar-powered water and light systems, and Karamoja sub-region has benefited from the same sparking a significant rise in school enrollment and improving healthcare access.

“We came to this region and found that there was a very big challenge of water,” explains Charles Losike, Innovation: Africa's Regional Manager.

“Women used to walk very long distances to find water that was not even safe—water that was shared by animals and other organisms.”

Women used to walk over 2-3hrs in search of water for their livelihoods 

Through Israeli technology, the organization drills deep into the ground and uses solar panels to pump water into 10,000-litre tanks, feeding multiple tap points across large villages.

One such tap now sits just next to Lokaala Primary School in Nabilatuk District—a turning point for the school and its surrounding community.

A 10-meter tower with 10,000-liter tank that serves the surrounding villages and the school

“We found the same stories in the school that we heard from villagers,” says Losike.

“No reliable source of water, inadequate classrooms, and teachers struggling just like the villagers.”

After mapping the school during a community needs assessment, Losike says they decided to include Lokaala in their project.

Charles Losike, Regional Manager, Innovation: Africa

“We gave them a tap at the school compound and another at the teachers’ quarters. Before this, teachers would walk two to three hours just to fetch water. It was affecting lesson preparation and student welfare.”

The impact was immediate.

“At the time we found them, they had about 300 pupils. After the water was installed, enrollment jumped to 700, then 800. When we added a solar system and lit the school, the number reached 1,300,” Losike says.

Students of Lokaala Primary School during a lunch time break

“Children realized there is light in this school—and the light attracted more students.”

Out of the 1,300, he notes, 800 are day scholars, and others stay in makeshift dormitories—converted classrooms that double as sleeping quarters at night.

“Children used to walk very far to gather water that wasn’t even clean,” recalls Mugida Hajara, a teacher at Lokaala Primary School.

Tr. Hajara Mugida explains

“Initially, children used to miss school because they couldn't find a reason to, now that there's water and light, we see more children coming to school without being forced, we can easily make a meal for them, they can also maintain themselves with the available water and do revision because light is now available.” Says Mugida

Beyond Lokaala P/S, Innovation: Africa has powered multiple schools and health centers. In Nakapiripirit District, six schools have been transformed. “In the first school we started with, enrollment grew from 500 to 1,400,” says Losike. “At Napenanya Primary School, it rose from 300 to 1,100. At Amaler Primary School, numbers shot up from 450 to 1,500 learners.”

The writer (Frank Semata) collects drinking water in a calabash at one of the community taps 

Losike emphasizes the organization’s holistic approach, which includes powering rural health centers with light and refrigeration for vaccines.

“In Nomorunyanga and Nabulenger Health Centers, we’ve installed light for safe deliveries in maternity wards and refrigerators for vaccine storage,” he says.

The organization’s vision is rooted in creating continuity—ensuring that children used to clean water in their villages do not lose that right when they attend school.

Women collect water from one of the streams. The same was being shared with animals and would dry up during dry seaons

“They go back facing the same challenge they left behind,” says Losike. “That’s what pushed us to bring water and light into schools. We want to break that cycle.”

For each village, Innovation: Africa installs a high-capacity solar water system capable of serving over 3,000 residents.

“Now, the community no longer has a water crisis,” Losike says proudly. “They are healthy, happy, and you can see it in their faces.”

With more than 20 schools and multiple health centers already transformed, the organization is now looking to expand further.

Students of Lokaala Primary School can now drink safe water, thanks to innovation: Africa

“We are still identifying schools that meet our criteria,” says Losike, “because what we are doing is not just bringing water. We are restoring dignity and giving hope to an entire generation.”

Senior Engineer Rachel Mutenyo explains how each water project is custom-built.

“In Lokaala Village, home to over 3,200 people, we erected a 10-meter tower with a 10,000-liter tank powered by solar energy. We installed nine tap stands in a 2-kilometer radius, each with two faucets, ensuring access to at least 25 liters of clean, safe water per person per day,” she shares. it's tested, treated, and safe water for families.”

Each tap stand serves families with a minimum daily quota of 25 liters per person, thus improving hygiene and saving countless hours once wasted on trekking for water.

Mutenyo explains, “We don’t build one-size-fits-all systems. We assess the geography, settlement patterns, and water table. For Lokaala Village, the borehole was drilled 70 meters deep.