Smiling Through Light (STL) receives continued backing from Whole Planet, a project of Whole Foods Market Foundation to scale their operations in Sierra Leone through the innovative delivery model for off-grid energy solution.
In October 2023, Smiling Through Light received a $50,000 restricted grant from the foundation, which is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting organizations that empower people living in poverty to meet their basic needs and become more resilient through income-generating opportunities. The funds were used for inventory finance and the products landed costs supporting the business to scale their Pay-As-You-Go Solar solutions in Sierra Leone. “The funding has helped the business to purchase, ship, clear and now selling three different Spark products, creating jobs, supporting women and providing access to clean energy in the communities that we work in,” said Mariama Kamara, Founder & Director of STL.
In May 2024, Whole Planet received funds from their parent company for a new initiative which aims to support active partners already working in their portfolio. "Whole Planet is pleased to support Smiling Through Light with funds for a new initiative entitled Choice 4 Change. The grant funds are unrestricted and can be used at our partner's discretion. We are looking forward to seeing the impact that the funds will contribute to as the company scales its operations in Sierra Leone." said Yvan Gatoto, Whole Planet Portfolio Manager, Africa & MENA “The additional $10,000 grant funding will have a catalytic effect for the business enabling them to undertake several high impact activities. These include investing in their digital and physical sales infrastructure, auditing of annual accounts, customer engagement & marketing and to build their central operations and personnel. These activities will have a twin effect of enhancing the support provided to the salesforce while supporting the business in engaging with key stakeholders (e.g. developing strategic alliances with delivery partners) subsequently supporting STL to increase their reach and scale”.
Alexandros Germanis, Non-Executive Director of STL said “Absolutely thrilled to receive continued backing from Whole Planet. This latest support helps us to maintain the momentum we’ve built up and to prove our innovative delivery model for off-grid energy solutions. Delighted to have such a partner alongside us in our mission to bring sustainable power to more communities.”
This additional grant will support STL in achieving its overall vision of a West Africa where off-grid communities are no longer underserved and have access to clean, reliable, sustainable energy. We see a future in which women can generate income for their families, and remote communities no longer experience extreme poverty.
