Residents of the remote outer island of Aranuka in Kiribati recently celebrated the completion of a new solar-powered electricity and clean water project that is bringing reliable energy and safe water to more than 1,000 people.
Delivered by Action on Poverty through the Australian Government’s Business Partnerships Platform (BPP), the partnership with the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific Kiribati (FSPK) and local communities installed solar-powered battery systems and solar water pumps across all five communities on the island, powering three schools and five community halls. Six new communal freshwater wells fitted with solar pumps are also being installed to help address the island’s longstanding water access challenges.
For many families on Aranuka, access to electricity and safe drinking water has long been limited. With no connection to a power grid and scarce freshwater resources, many households collected water several times a day, a task often carried out by women. Before the new system, around two-thirds of households made more than two trips daily, while about a third did not always have access to safe drinking water.
Women’s leadership has been central to the project’s design. Twenty women now hold leadership roles across five community Infrastructure Management Committees, established to oversee the operation and maintenance of the systems. Committee members have received training in equipment maintenance, financial literacy and good governance, as well as gender equality and community leadership.
Action on Poverty’s Asia and Pacific Program Manager, Michiyo Yamada, said: “Empowering women to lead and manage the systems was central is the project’s long-term success. Women are already at the heart of water and energy management in their communities. By strengthening their leadership and technical skills, we are helping ensure these systems can be maintained locally and continue delivering benefits for many years to come,” Ms Yamada said.
Foundation for the Peoples of South Pacific Kiribati (FSPK) Program Coordinator, Ruiti Aretaake, said “Working closely with communities across Aranuka has helped ensure these systems respond to real needs on the island. Reliable power and water will support healthier and more resilient communities.”
This is a pilot for REnew Pacific, Australia’s $75 million investment to power off-grid communities across the Pacific and Timor-Leste with renewable energy. REnew Pacific is supported through the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), a $350 million Australian Government initiative delivered by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).
Residents of Aranuka in Kiribati recently celebrated the completion of the project
The project installed solar-powered battery systems and solar water pumps across all five communities on the island, powering three schools and five community halls