The Powerpath project has identified how it will engage women in the community and entrepreneurs; building on previous engagements and increasing female participation in the economy of the rural pilot area. Social inclusion, in reference to community public spaces, will also benefit from the project. Specifically, in order to alleviate the problem of gender-based violence, the project will provide electricity for public spaces in rural communities, increasing safety in streets and public spaces during night-time for all and particularly women/girls.
Potential negative impacts include females' safety and security risks triggered by the disruption of existing power dynamics or tensions within households or communities. Regular monitoring and evaluation will help identify and address any unintended negative consequences promptly.
Community dialogues, training sessions, and awareness campaigns will help challenge social norms and promote positive attitudes towards gender equality and the rights of women and girls.
Household electrification has a significant positive impact on female empowerment. Indeed, qualitative lighting that extends the amount of time to be productive at home, offers women in charge of housekeeping more time to develop revenue generation activities. This impact will be qualitatively tracked.
On the entrepreneurial side, Nanoé, a Madagascar-based decentralised electrification company, aims to reach more than 1/3 of local female nano-entrepreneurs. To achieve this ambitious goal, Nanoé plans to launch a targeted advertising campaign to attract female entrepreneurs and bring awareness to the project. A number of workshops to help female entrepreneurs already started last year and are becoming regular every year.