Electricity for remote areas and for those who cannot afford it: With the non-profit PowerOneForOne Foundation, founded in 2018, the aream Group is pushing its social commitment. In 2020, another six projects in three countries could be completed. "With this, we have not only achieved our goals, but exceeded them, despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic", says Janine Voigt, Managing Director of the PowerOneForOne Foundation. 

The foundation's goal is to supply electricity to particularly disadvantaged people in underdeveloped countries. "A lot can be achieved with renewable energy in particular", says Voigt. Because renewable energies rely primarily on decentralized generation, in many areas of the world it is not even necessary to build an elaborate and expensive grid. "It is often enough to install small and medium-sized systems on school roofs or in public spaces to secure the electricity needs of an entire village", says Janine Voigt. 

"As an asset manager for renewable energy infrastructure, we are committed to improving the living conditions of people in far less developed countries", says Markus W. Voigt, CEO of aream Group. 1.2 billion people live without direct access to electricity, and energy poverty is one of the biggest obstacles to positive development. The PowerOneForOne Foundation provides support and thus improves the livelihood of the rural population. This is done, for example, by enabling women to work, by providing better medical care and by providing educational opportunities for children. Currently, the PowerOneForOne Foundation supports projects in Guatemala, Uganda, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 

In Pakistan, the PowerOneForOne Foundation primarily supports women and families in villages without access to electricity. Families in a high-poverty area receive "Small Solar Home Systems" that eliminate the need for unhealthy kerosene lamps: The system includes a portable lamp, a storage device for 40 hours of light, and a USB port. Since toilets are often located outside of homes, portable light means a measure of safety, especially for women and children. "Just 100 euros can provide light for a household", he said. "For this year, 40 families were on our list, and all of them could already be supplied", says Janine Voigt. 

But the need for electricity is huge and growing worldwide. "Increasing digitalization just like the switch to climate-neutral energy is not only increasing electricity consumption in developed countries", says Janine Voigt. "In developing countries, entire generations of analog applications are being skipped during development and digital models are being adopted right away." But this requires electricity, which thus also becomes a question of people's participation in the global world. "Electricity suppliers are therefore urgently needed", says Voigt.