Poverty occurs when people are deprived of the most basic means for development and growth. We can only expect the poor to grow out of the vicious circle of poverty if they are equipped and empowered with the proper means to do so. Dilip’s story is a perfect example to illustrate the transformational change that is possible when access to the most fundamental energy services is provided and ensured.

Dilip Singh from Koiran Tola, a poorly electrified village in Uttar Pradesh, would have remained a marginal daily wage laborer for most of his life, if he had not gained access to a simple lighting solution that allowed him to change this. A solar charging station that was set up in his village provided Dilip and his fellow villagers with an affordable and effective lighting solution that allowed them to use after-dark hours more productively.

For Dilip, this was his chance to pursue an education which could then help him get a more sustainable means of income. A daily wage laborer by day and an eager student by night, Dilip was now able to use his evening hours productively, investing them in an education he otherwise did not have a chance of pursuing.

Dilip’s commitment towards his education was evident through the quick progress he made and soon enrolled himself in the tenth standard. This enabled him to get proper employment with the Life Insurance Corporation, India’s largest insurance company, and he no longer needed to continue with the uncertainty of daily wage labour. Dilip also used the solar lantern to carry out various agricultural tasks in the evenings which supplemented the earnings he made from his day job.

Dilip now has a very positive outlook towards his future and plans to study further to get better opportunities for employment and growth. Dilip has become an inspiring example in his village, demonstrating transformational changes in his life by making the most of a resource that was otherwise not available or accessible to them.