The bright lights shine on her little body - Nafia is lucky: the large laceration on her forehead, which she sustained while playing, can be stitched up quickly and easily in the small hospital in rural Tanzania. The girl lies still under the anesthetic and her heartbeat and pulse can be easily monitored via a monitor.
For the experienced surgeon, the gaping skin flaps are not really a problem. Actually - because suddenly the bright lights go out. The screen that had just been continuously displaying the important values is all black. Other electrical devices too - everything is off. The doctor curses. All too often there are power cuts in his hospital. A power cut that can mean the difference between life and death. Fortunately, in this case it only takes a few seconds and the appliances and lights are back on.
A situation that is unimaginable in a German hospital. Even if there were to be a power failure, there are countless 'backups' that keep things running and therefore pose no danger to patients. In general, we can't really imagine life without electricity: Starting with the lights, the countless power-operated appliances in the kitchen, vacuum cleaner, telephone, computer - even the toothbrush is electric for many.
The situation is very different in other parts of the world: Worldwide, 675 million people have no electricity connection. And most of those who do have one obtain their energy from non-renewable sources. In fact, the global share of renewable energies is 19.1 %.
Access to affordable, reliable and modern energy for all was therefore defined as the 7th Sustainable Development Goal of the 2030 Agenda. One of the sub-goals is also the expansion of infrastructure to provide modern and sustainable energy services in developing countries. Fortunately, there is a huge potential for renewable energies here, which could mathematically provide far more energy through sun, wind, water, earth and biomass than the entire world population needs. International cooperation is therefore essential in order to drive forward the expansion of these resources. Although progress has already been made in the past, it is far too little to actually achieve the goal of the 2030 Agenda.
That is why we also want to make a contribution through our international projects. Myanmar - was equipped with solar panels several years ago, and a large solar system is being planned at our partner hospital in Tanzania, which will replace the conventional power supply with a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative.
