Solar Mamas: Women’s empowerment through innovative skills training:
“I am Olebogeng Rutu Samaemo, born and raised in Seronga, a village in Ngamiland in northern Botswana. I have a career in solar installation business, having been trained in India for five months through Great Plains Foundation initiatives. We are a team of eight Solar Mamas working across the Okavango Community Trust villages, and I am the group leader.”
In Seronga, a remote village in Ngamiland in northern Botswana, on the edge of the Okavango Delta, access to electricity and livelihood opportunities has not always been guaranteed. For Olebogeng “Lebo” Rutu Samaemo, Lead Solar Mama, this affected daily life in very practical ways.
Before Solar Mamas, “Life was very difficult for us,” she shares. “Due to a lack of employment, taking on responsibilities as an employed adult is a problem because nowadays, we live in a modern lifestyle which needs money. It was difficult for me to pay my kids’ school fees and buy their uniforms. At home, we didn’t have light, so my children couldn’t study in the evenings, and that’s why they weren’t performing well at school.”
Today, a positive shift has transpired, not only for her household but across the communities she works in.
In 2019, Lebo was selected as part of a group of women trained in solar engineering through the Great Plains Foundation. She spent five months in India, gaining the technical skills needed to install and maintain solar systems. She now leads a team of eight Solar Mamas working across all five of the Okavango Community Trust (OCT) villages in northern Botswana.
“I feel honoured by the Foundation, by my community, and by the women I work with,” she says.
The work is practical and consistent, focusing on installing solar lighting systems in off-grid homes.
Great Plains Foundation Solar Mamas – Olebogeng, Lead Solar Mama.
Shifts in independence and opportunity through the Solar Mamas group
Lebo shared that the change in perceptions of women’s roles across communities has been most evident in women’s ability to participate in their own livelihoods. “Now there is self-independence. Equal rights. Women can decide for themselves and take part in economic development,” she explains.
Further to this, her position of what women’s empowerment looks like reflects this: “It is about autonomy, self-worth, and equal rights, being able to make decisions and access opportunities. It involves breaking barriers to ensure women can participate fully in economic development. ”
This has had a direct impact at the household level. Women are earning, contributing, and supporting their families in ways that were not always possible before.
Great Plains Foundation Solar Mamas Botswana – installation of solar systems
Light in the home and daily life
“Solar Mamas have brought light into less privileged families’ homes.” – Olebogeng.
The systems installed by the Solar Mamas provide reliable light in homes that previously had none. This changes everyday routines. Children are able to study in the evenings. These households are safer and more functional after sunset, whereby hazardous light sources such as candles and oil burners, for the most part, are no longer required by their clients. Small but important shifts begin to take place over time, which promote preference for the use of safe, clean and sustainable energy supply.
By the end of 2025, this work reached a significant milestone:
1,000 off-grid homes across communities neighbouring the Okavango Delta now have access to solar power, thanks to the Solar Mama entrepreneurs.
The systems are sold at a subsidised rate, allowing households to invest in them, while also creating a steady income stream for the Solar Mamas themselves.
A growing network of women-led enterprises
The impact of the programme has extended beyond solar installation work. As a group, the Solar Mamas have formed a registered society. Individually, many have begun building additional sources of income.
“With the support of Great Plains Foundation, we have we managed to register our own group society and for myself, I have built a multi-residential building and am preparing for tenants. I also run a small vegetable garden where we grow morogo and sell it to the community.”
This reflects a broader shift toward skills that generate income, which in turn create further opportunities, with Lebo serving as a remarkable example of what dedication and creativity can achieve.
Great Plains Foundation Solar Mamas Botswana – Olebogeng’s vegetable garden.
Solar Mamas are positively influencing the next generation
Lebo has also seen a change in how younger women and girls respond to what is possible.
“Yes, they are inspired,” she says. They have become inspired to take action to start a business. Through mentorship and sisterhood, they learn from the work we are doing.”
The visibility of women working, earning, and leading in their communities is shaping expectations for what comes next, and the possibilities are plenty.
Looking ahead
Reaching 1,000 homes was an important milestone for everyone who has been a part of the journey. The next phase will focus on supporting Solar Mamas as their businesses grow. At its core, the work remains grounded in equipping women with skills that are practical, relevant, and transferable, supporting both households and the wider community over time.
Great Plains Foundation Solar Mamas Botswana – Lead Solar Mama, Olebogeng, pictured with solar systems ready for installation.
To learn more, please contact us at info@greatplainsfoundation.com or visit our donate page if you would like to make a contribution to support this work.
