Fondazione Albero della Vita (“FADV”) works to implement effective actions to protect children, as well as to safeguard and promote the rights of children and young adults to grow up in a safe and suitable environment. It does this by strengthening children and young adults’ resilience through two main areas of intervention: (1) climate change and disaster risk reduction and (2) protection from all forms of violence.

In the last years, FADV has been undertaking comprehensive educational programmes in India to support children holistically and reduce school drop put rates. Education is an essential element of the global response to climate change: it helps people to understand and address the impact of global warming; increases climate literacy among young people; encourages changes in their attitudes and behaviour; and, helps them adapt to climate change related trends. Since 2009, FADV has been working with local partners to run learning centres across West Bengal and Assam.

FADV’s approach aims at promoting a higher awareness of children and adults at 3 different levels: individual, community and collective. As part of it education projects, FADV runs learning centres, although they lack proper electric power supply. The learning centres often experience power-cuts of at least 10 hours per day, and usually during school hours; productivity is considerably lowered due to the unreliability of energy access. Furthermore, FADV is trying to teach students about renewable energy importance and possibilities, climate change and sustainable development.

NextEnergy Foundation is fully funding the installation of a solar systems on FADV’s learning centres which will ensure that children’s education as well as capacity building activities for staff and parents are not interrupted by frequent power cuts.

January 2022 Update: The project has now completed. The Foundation fully funded the installation of eight solar systems (each 12.5kWp) on seven of FADV’s Learning Centres and their Farmer’s Resource Centre in the Sundarbans, India. The objective of the initiative was to support children and their families to have uninterrupted education and safe drinking water during monsoons, floods and cyclones through sustainable and renewable energy. Community members at each centre were trained to manage the solar systems. Overall, almost 1,250 children are benefiting from the installations.