In Paraguay, many people that live in absolute poverty suffer from inclement weather and environmental damage; this along with high electricity consumption and huge carbon dioxide emissions, as they often lack information and relevant resources; which causes them to become victims of climate injustice.
Through an agreement with Ganadera La Celestina, 20 families from San Alfredo in the department of Concepción benefited from a training and awareness campaign aimed to promote immediate actions to protect and preserve our environment. In this specific case, we focused on the efficient use of electricity.
After defining the beneficiary selection criteria, we carried out the following activities:
Identification and selection of families:
We carried out a process in which we identified and selected the 20 beneficiary families in a close collaboration with a group of young people from San Alfredo, who are part of the Stoplight* program. We made sure that the families met the established criteria and had a real need for accompaniment to improve their energy and environmental situation. We took into account the results of the Stoplights of these families, who indicated red or yellow in indicators of the dimension "Health and environment."
Training and education:
Once the families were selected, we started a training and education plan addressing topics such as "How to save energy at home". The family extensionist was in charge of providing workshops on the responsible use of energy, the importance of reducing electricity consumption and caring for the environment. She also provided information on the benefits and characteristics of LED bulbs compared to conventional bulbs.
Change of high consumption bulbs for LED bulbs:
We carried out the installation of LED bulbs in each of the homes of the beneficiary families. These LED bulbs were provided free of charge thanks to the collaboration of our partner Domi Earth.
Community awareness:
We developed community awareness activities to promote the importance of energy efficiency and the use of sustainable technologies. We organized talks and educational activities led by young people and our family extensionist, with the idea of spreading the message of caring for the environment and encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices.
As a result of our activities, we expect that the 20 beneficiary families will experience a significant impact on their energy consumption and the reduction of their electricity bills, in addition to their empowerment with knowledge and tools to continue adopting sustainable practices in the future.
Follow-up and evaluation:
For the next period we have scheduled follow-up visits to the beneficiary families to evaluate the impact of the LED bulbs and verify their correct use. We will also be collecting data related to energy consumption before and after the change of bulbs, in order to measure the savings and environmental impact generated by the project.
*The Stoplight: is a tool developed by Fundación Paraguaya that seeks to activate the potential of families to get out of poverty through an innovative technological platform.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Illumina Project in San Alfredo, Concepción?
- The Illumina Project — also known as Power to Change — is a campaign that helped 20 families in San Alfredo, Concepción, Paraguay improve their energy and environmental situation through training, awareness, and free LED-bulb installations, in collaboration with Ganadera La Celestina and DOMI Earth.
- How were the 20 beneficiary families selected?
- Families were identified and selected together with young people from San Alfredo who are part of the Stoplight program. The team used Stoplight results, prioritizing families who indicated red or yellow on indicators in the "Health and environment" dimension and had a genuine need for support.
- What activities did the project carry out?
- The project ran family identification and selection, training and education on saving energy at home and the benefits of LED bulbs, installation of free LED bulbs in each home, community awareness talks led by young people and a family extensionist, and follow-up evaluation.
- What impact does the project expect?
- The 20 families are expected to see a significant reduction in energy consumption and electricity bills, along with empowerment through knowledge and tools to keep adopting sustainable practices. Follow-up visits will collect before-and-after energy data to measure savings and environmental impact.