A beacon of hope: 100,000 vulnerable Indians reached by a small Australian Social Enterprise with big business goals

PRESS RELEASE

A small Australian start-up is celebrating its most significant milestone to date: having reached 100,000 of India’s most vulnerable people.

Pollinate Energy, which sells life-changing sustainable products to Indians who live in grinding poverty in tent communities, marked the event with a visit to the community in Bangalore.

24-year-old Naga, a basket maker, bought a Pollinate Energy solar light for his family of four this week. With his purchase, the Australian social enterprise has now changed the lives of 100,000 people.

“All I see around me is darkness. Buying kerosene for our lamp has been our only alternative for light at night.” 

“The solar light will allow us to make more baskets to sell after dark, clean the house and utensils after cooking, and will keep insects and snakes away.”

The social enterprise was started four years ago, by a team of young Australians who saw that families living in tents were burning toxic, dangerous and expensive kerosene.

“It was hard enough seeing people living in such cramped, difficult conditions – and then to see that they were slowly poisoning themselves with kerosene was even worse,” says Alexie Seller, who helped co-found Pollinate Energy. “We knew we had to do something.”

“It’s gratifying to have reached 100,000 people: we know our model works and we are on track to reach one million people in just a few years,” says Alexie Seller, the Chief Executive Officer of Pollinate Energy, who is based in Bangalore in India’s south.

Since it was established in 2012, Pollinate Energy has also firmly established its international credentials. These include:

• Pollinate Energy won the United Nations Momentum for Change Award
• Pollinate Energy is aligned with several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals including the eradication of poverty, access to affordable, reliable modern energy services and supporting job creation and entrepreneurship.

Pollinate Energy plans to be operating in 20 cities by 2020, which will allow the organisation to reach one million people and to become fully sustainable. At this point, the team will no longer rely on fundraising.

“We see the changes in people’s lives every day and are committed to making sure that all vulnerable Indians have access to our life-changing products,” says Alexie. “But we need support to help us get there. Please consider a donation to Pollinate Energy this End of Financial Year – your money will go a long way and it’s tax deductible in Australia.”

Donate or find out more about Pollinate Energy at www.pollinateenergy.org

Media contact: Anna McGregor, National Manager (Melbourne)

Ph 0468 764 056    anna.m@pollinateenergy.org