This post was originally published by Empower Generation, which merged with Pollinate Energy to form Pollinate Group in 2018.
When an organization with a mission to accelerate clean energy projects in Asia and Africa offers to fundraise and be directly involved in a key project, you say welcome on board!
This was the case with Sunny Side Up, an organization exercising their founders’ (Maike Van Grootel and Laurens Wiersma) expertise to accelerate sustainable energy solutions and projects.
After raising an impressive €2685 ($2900.87 USD) earlier this year, the team visited Nepal to be an integral part of our 3rd Annual Capacity Building Workshop, where we train and test applicants who want to become entrepreneurs in our network.
In Nepal the Sunny Side Up team was complemented with support from Jessica Oyarbide and Marisela Ponce De León, and together everyone mentored potential entrepreneurs and interacted with our existing entrepreneurs as part of the training.
Funds raised by Sunny Side Up were invested to create the new entrepreneurs’ solar product inventory to kick-start their business. Once the new entrepreneurs pay back the money used for this it will be used for future entrepreneurs’ inventory.
We also asked Maike and Laurens to share more about their experience:
“Helping to select the new entrepreneurs was really tough. We found all the women had great ideas and were really motivated to make their business a success.”
“One of the highlights was the sales pitches from all the new entrepreneurs, we’d seen them grow and develop a lot in just one week, as people and as business leaders.”
“We loved to see first-hand how Empower Generation works to accomplish both women’s empowerment and spreading solar energy. Plus we had a lot of fun experiencing the Nepali singing and dancing!”
Empower Generation is incredibly grateful for Sunny Side Up’s contribution to our work and for their personal efforts and passion in helping us empower women to power the world!