Innovation: Africa

Innovation: Africa uses solar energy to address the electricity needs of rural, poverty entrenched communities in sub-Saharan Africa. This energy powers schools, medical clinics, orphanages and water pumping systems. Each water pump provides rural communities with over 30,000 liters of clean water per day, and solar powered refrigerators have stored over 350,000 vaccines. The impact of clean water and power includes improved community health; entrepreneurial and other opportunities open up to women who no longer need to spend their days fetching water; running water improves sanitation and makes it possible for girls to attend school when menstruating; and the community is empowered by improved living conditions and the overall economic and educational opportunities made possible with the addition of electricity.

iA has developed a two-part solution to this ensure the investments we make in rural communities continue to provide people with the services they need:
1. Community Enterprise: The committee is a group of people invested in the project (local government, tribal leaders, heads of the women's group, PTA members, clinic/school staff and more). They learn about solar technology in the months before their community's installation, and they are responsible for maintaining their solar system after installation.
2. Remote Monitoring: We are monitoring iA projects using a small device that plugs into a cell phone SIM card installed in a community's solar system and which collects output data. This data is then sent via text message to an online server, which allows iA staff to check in on each solar system from any computer with an internet connection. Using this information, we can predict problems before they start, perform remote diagnostics, optimize system design and more.

Combining cutting edge Israeli technology with a thriving and growing grassroots community empowerment has allowed iA to solve poverty and poverty's impact.

Innovation: Africa has completed over 200 solar, water and agricultural projects, bringing light, clean water, improved education and refrigeration for lifesaving medicines and vaccines to over 1.3 million African people, across 10 countries.
We have reached an audience of more than 100 million worldwide, a social media community of over 565,000 people and still counting.
More specifically, Innovation: Africa has been recognized by numerous organizations such as The United Nations, beginning in 2012 when granted Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and was also awarded the Innovation Award for the use of Israeli technologies in the developing world.
In international media, iA's work was covered through Forbes, The Daily Mail, The Christian Broadcasting Network, Face2Face Africa and PR Newswire.
iA was recognized as the recipient of The Nation Branding Award by Knowledge at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The Founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa, Sivan Ya'ari, was named one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Israel" by Forbes Israel and one of the “40 Under 40 Most Promising Israelis" by Israel's leading business magazine, Globes.