FINCA International was established in 1984 and is currently active in more than 30 countries.

NextEnergy Foundation is undertaking the Lamp Library Project in conjunction with FINCA in Uganda. The Project identifies a selection of schools in rural areas that have no access to electricity and retrofits them to house up to 250 solar lamps per school. The Project allows students to use the portable solar lanterns during school hours and to borrow them to take home – just as you would borrow a book from a library – to facilitate evening studying. This initiative is implemented and overseen by BrightLife, FINCA’s solar energy programme in Uganda.

Thus far, three schools have been retrofitted with solar lanterns, creating the opportunity to over 1,680 students to increase their hours of study. The Principal at one of the schools has said that parents are grateful for the solar lanterns and students want more homework now that they can see at night. He also says that the status of the school has risen in the community because of the Lamp Library Project and enrolment rate has gone up. In addition, parents across all three schools have confirmed that the initiative not only gives their children the immediate help they need keeping up with their studies, it is also giving them direct access to learn more about innovative and life enhancing clean energy products that they were not aware of beforehand.

January 2021 Project Update: Since February 2019, the project has been rolled out to six schools, benefiting a total of 2,790 students and more than 4,000 community members in and around the schools. In addition, the Lamp Library project was featured on the most watched national TV channel in Uganda with coverage on the new schools participating in the project. A short video of the footage can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLDcanvDxoc&feature=youtu.be.