Innovation: Africa
Innovation: Africa - Bringing Israeli Solar, Agricultural, and Water Technologies to African Villages
Summary
Innovation: Africa is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing clean water and electricity to rural African communities through solar-powered systems. Their approach involves community involvement, solar panel installations, and partnerships, resulting in significant positive impacts on education, health, and economic development.
Innovation: Africa
Innovation: Africa is a non-profit organization that utilizes solar energy to provide light and electricity to off-grid schools and medical centers, and crucially pumps safe and clean water throughout remote villages across 10 African countries including Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Eswatini, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, and Senegal. To date, they have successfully completed over 900 solar and water installations, impacting more than 4.5 million people.
With a dedicated team of over 150 employees, most of whom are African engineers, Innovation: Africa collaborates with over 50 local contractors for the solar installations. All water and solar projects are live-monitored, ensuring donors can track the reach and impact of their contributions, and it’s noteworthy that 100% of any donation goes directly to the villages since the organization’s overhead is fully covered.
Having held Special Consultative Status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for over a decade, Innovation: Africa was awarded the Spirit of the United Nations in 2023. Additionally, its founder, Sivan Yaari, received accolades in October 2023 as one of the most influential Jews globally. Innovation: Africa’s reputation as one of the most transparent and effective charities in Africa is cemented by its transformative work, bringing clean water and electricity to communities, empowering them, reducing CO2 emissions, and contributing significantly to climate change mitigation.
Sivan Ya'ari
Sivan Ya'ari is the founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa, a nonprofit that brings Israeli solar, agricultural, and water technologies to African villages. She was born in Israel, raised in France, educated in the United States with degrees in finance from Pace University and a masters in international energy management and policy from Columbia University. Sivan has been working in Africa for over 20 years and over the past decade, using Israeli technologies, has brought clean water and light to over 2.8 million people across 10 African countries. Sivan and Innovation: Africa have received multiple awards, including the Innovation Award from the United Nations. Sivan lives in Tel Aviv with her husband and three children.
Carly Maisel
Carly Maisel is the global CEO of Kirsh Philanthropies.