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Non-profit organisations show they can make a difference

Abu Dhabi - Four organisations are competing for the eighth edition of the Zayed Future Energy Prize in the NPO category.

Following the historic international agreement in Paris in December, the world's attention turns to the UAE where Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, from January 16 to 23, will provide the first global platform for climate action.
In the next of the Zayed Future Energy Prize in Focus series, we take a look at the non-profit organisation (NPO) category finalists of the 2016 edition of the prize, the winners of which will be announced at the annual awards ceremony on Monday.
Four organisations are competing for the eighth edition of the prize in the NPO category. These finalists were chosen for their innovation, impact, leadership and long-term vision in expanding access to reliable and affordable modern energy services, supporting low carbon development and green employment.
Kopernik is an Indonesian non-profit organisation delivering sustainable energy technology to disadvantaged people in hard-to-reach areas. The company relies upon a holistic and innovative approach to product distribution, development, and finance in order to successfully deliver to disadvantaged people across multiple regions.
"Being nominated for the Zayed Future Energy Prize has motivated us to continue serving underprivileged, marginalised communities and expand clean energy access and reduce poverty. It also affirmed our conviction that our work is indeed necessary and valuable", says Ewa Wojkowska, co-founder and COO of Kopernik.
Established in 2010, Kopernik has to date positively affected more than 269,000 people across multiple countries through the delivery of 55,000 systems. These comprise of 22 different technologies including solar lanterns, solar home systems, water filters, clean birth kits and educational tools.
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation empowers communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America through agriculture, access to clean water and safe sanitation and renewable energy. In the area of renewable energy, the non-profit organisation provides access to sustainable, clean and reliable energy sources to millions of people in households and small and medium enterprises.
The organisation has been operating since 1965 and has now built operations spanning 38 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
SolarAid is a solar lantern distributor in Africa, founded in 2006 in the United Kingdom. Its main countries of operation are Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. Since 2006, SolarAid has promoted the use of solar lamps in Africa with the target of eradicating the kerosene lamp from Africa by 2020.
The organisation places a strong emphasis on educating consumers to be a part of the solution and this is apparent through their collaboration with teachers at local focal points.
Jeremy Hunt, founder and chairman of SolarAid, said: "We bring philanthropy and business together to bridge the gaps in delivering sustainable energy to communities who stand to benefit the most. Our hybrid model means that we are both a disciplined business and a hugely-ambitious international NGO."
Rural Services Foundation is an energy access organisation providing sustainable renewable energy through innovative products and services to the bottom of the pyramid in Bangladesh. Founded in 2006, the foundation has deployed more than 500,000 solar home systems, 35,000 efficient cook stoves and 2,300 biogas plants to homes in rural areas of the country with the aim of improving quality of life for more than one million households.
Managing director Munawar Misbah Moin recounts the main challenges they have faced: "The greatest challenge was implementing a technology platform that empowers people instead of trapping them, a platform that benefits the entire value chain, all the way down to the customers in rural households."
- business@khaleejtimes.com