The Nexans Foundation, through Centelsa by Nexans, joins forces with TECHO and Litro de Luz to provide access to energy in Colombia

The Nexans Foundation, in collaboration with Centelsa by Nexans, partners with TECHO and Litro de Luz for the installation of light posts in settlements across Colombia, impacting various communities. The aim is to contribute to the United Nations' seventh Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ensuring affordable and clean energy.

According to data from TECHO, gathered from a database of 7,700 settlements, at least 37% of informal settlements in Latin America lack a formal and secure electricity service. In response, the Nexans Foundation has selected 13 global projects focused on energy access to support. In Colombia, the chosen entities are TECHO and Litro de Luz, who will begin implementing their proposals starting from August.

TECHO's projects have a presence in Peru, Chile, and Colombia, aiming to install 300 light posts in settlements, positively impacting over 4,500 people.
In Colombia, TECHO will proceed with its project 'Luz al barrio', installing 100 solar light posts with photovoltaic panels in 6 informal settlements in the cities of Bogotá, Cali, and Soacha.

This initiative, carried out in close collaboration with local communities and with the participation of Centelsa by Nexans employees, will reduce the sense of insecurity in public spaces within the neighborhoods. Additionally, the installation of these lights will minimize the risk of fires related to unsafe electrical connections. Furthermore, the project will facilitate technology access for the involved communities. Over the course of 12 months, it will directly benefit 1,200 people.

"In Latin America, millions of people living in informal settlements lack regulated access to electricity, let alone infrastructure that allows them to have illuminated areas at night in their public spaces. This generates insecurity and prevents residents from fully enjoying their neighborhoods. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Nexans Foundation and TECHO, hundreds of families in Chile, Peru, and Colombia will now have access to much safer spaces within their communities. This will be achieved through the installation of over 150 solar-powered lights in 15 different communities. With this initiative, we hope that neighborhood residents can make better use of their streets, pedestrian paths, parks, and communal spaces at all times, ultimately creating a more dignified living environment," says Daniel Ortiz, Coordinator of Social Areas at TECHO International.

On the other hand, Litro de Luz will install 40 solar-powered light posts and a satellite internet antenna to benefit 387 families in four communities of the Plata Archipelago, located in the Urama Bahía Málaga Natural National Park in the Colombian Pacific. These communities are La Plata, Mangaña, Mirama, and La Sierpe.

This region is one of the wettest places on the planet and simultaneously one of the darkest areas in the world, where fishing is the main economic activity. With this project, Litro de Luz will provide illumination for each of the four communities as well as their docks, benefiting fishermen and preventing losses.

The satellite antenna will assist teachers in the only school in the area located in Miramar to access better teaching materials for over 500 children.