As part of its mission, The Rockefeller Foundation is focused on helping avert the unique threats of climate change at its root while improving opportunity for all. Much of the focus of electricity deficits has been on Africa, and we have focused there as well, but we wanted to shine a light on Latin American communities without electricity and the impact of that absence on education, health, jobs, and more. The story is part of an ongoing effort by The Rockefeller Foundation to alleviate energy poverty globally by coming up with ways to bring last-mile energy delivery to remote communities. Specifically, this story was reported, video and stills shot, during the start of an effort to bring electricity to 56,000 remote Bolivian households. We wanted to visit the community to give an opportunity to explore the range of generation impacts of being without electricity.
The remoteness of the community was the primary challenge. It is reachable only by a dirt path that extends for more than an hour up into the Andes and is traversed mainly by donkeys, not cars. The community leaders were simultaneously welcoming and wary, so it took some time to overcome their suspicions and get them to show us around and share stories.
The grantee, InterAmerican Development Bank, and our partner, the Global Alliance for People and Planet, both used the story in their own promotions of the work. Remote communities often need to find the energy providers in La Paz or risk being overlooked, so having this available online was important for communities that don't have electricity, but have members of the younger generation attending school in more urban centers. From The Rockefeller Foundation website, the story recorded 557,298 views. The video was also watched all the way to the end 100 percent of the time, which indicates engagement.
