Empower Playgrounds
Merry-go-rounds that generate electricity for schools in Ghana.
By Tom Barton
Summary
Across sub-saharan Africa, 90 million students attend primary schools without electricity. In most cases, this lack of electricity is a fundamental barrier to education - one that reinforces cycles of poverty and inequality.Empower Playgrounds is a non-profit whose mission is to enhance educational opportunities for children in Ghana.They install merry-go-rounds that convert children’s play into electricity, which is then used to charge portable lanterns that students can use at home for after-dark study.Since 2008, Empower Playgrounds have installed 62 merry-go-rounds and reached over 22,000 students through various initiatives.
Across sub-saharan Africa, 90 million students attend primary schools without electricity. In most cases, this lack of electricity is a fundamental barrier to education - one that reinforces cycles of poverty and inequality.
Several factors can explain how energy poverty negatively affects education. It discourages qualified teachers from working in certain schools. Even when schools do find teachers, they are forced to rely on outdated teaching methods and resources. Finally, students that lack electricity at home are unable to study after dark, or else are forced to rely on harmful light sources such as kerosene lamps or open fires.
Empower Playgrounds is a nonprofit dedicated to improving educational opportunities for children in Ghana. They work to enhance school infrastructure by building classrooms, libraries, and computer labs. They also promote health and hygiene by distributing menstrual kits and installing BioFil toilets.
However, their most innovative solution tackles energy poverty head-on: merry-go-rounds that generate electricity.
These specially designed merry-go-rounds harness the energy produced by children as they play. This energy is then used to charge portable lanterns, which are distributed to students.
With these lanterns, children can study at home after dark, giving them extra time to complete homework and prepare for exams. During weekends and holiday, solar panels are used to keep the lanterns powered so kids can keep on learning!
Since its founding in 2008, Empower Playgrounds has installed 62 merry-go-rounds and helped over 22,000 students through its various initiatives.
In doing so, the non-profit has shown that simple, context-appropriate technology can be used to address critical needs in underserved communities. Equally, they have demonstrated the value of using accessible education as a tool for addressing poverty and inequality at scale.
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