Extending Reliable Power to Maternal Care in rural Malawi
- Amanda Orlovska
- Feb 20
- 2 min read
In a significant step towards enhancing healthcare in Malawi, Aftrak has successfully completed a solar panel installation at the Ngolowindo Hospital, located just outside Salima, showcasing how technology can transform health services in underserved areas.
Empowering Maternity Care with Solar Energy
The installation consists of six solar panels, providing a peak output of 3.6 kW. This energy will power critical equipment in the hospital's maternity ward, including incubators, delivery beds, lighting, computers, and cold storage for medicine. Creating a small microgrid like this one, in rural areas, significantly strengthens energy security, empowers communities with localised power, and in this case helping bridge the healthcare gap enabling hospitals in regional areas to move away from unreliable diesel generators towards consistent care.
A Vision for the Future
This initial installation, while showcasing how even small systems deliver measurable improvements where they are needed most, is just the beginning. Once the current system is fully commissioned, in collaboration with Starfish Malawi, Aftrak is planning a larger solar system, with a capacity of 12–15 kW, to further enhance the hospital's resilience and capacity across other departments as the current system becomes fully operational later this year. This microgrid showcases how small scale green-energy solutions can tackle three of Africa’s greatest development challenges, zero hunger, energy access, and climate resilience, sustainably and locally; inspiring similar grassroots projects with positive global impacts.
Starfish Malawi: A Partner in Sustainable Development
Starfish Malawi is a Christian organisation committed to enhancing education, vocational training, and health awareness for children and their families in the Salima district. Their long-term local partnerships are essential for making projects like this viable and sustainable, ensuring that the benefits extend far beyond the initial installation.
Join Us on This Journey
We’ll share further updates as we continue tackling energy and food poverty across SubSaharan Africa. Follow Aftrak for progress from pilot installs to scale-ups, and get in touch if you’d like to collaborate on community energy projects across Africa.
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