From Mali to Haiti, via Cambodia and the Philippines, Sibelga's Energy Assistance volunteers travel to the four corners of the world. Their job? To provide access to electricity in the most isolated areas.
When we only have to flick a switch to turn on the light we tend to forget that electricity is a precious commodity. Unfortunately, there are still remote areas in the world where access to this basic necessity is difficult or non-existent. This is true even for essential services, such as hospitals, crèches and schools.
Hundreds of missions
It was based on this observation that the not-for profit organisation ASBL Energy Assistance was founded in 2001, on the initiative of colleagues who were then part of Tractebel / Electrabel. Since then, it has completed hundreds of assignments in over 40 countries! Around ten Sibelga employees work with the association, which is now managed by the Engie Group.
Energy Assistance in 2024 is also:
3,900,000 beneficiaries
382 projects completed
4,200 kilowatts of power installed or connected
76,850 hours of work for EA members.
A taste for adventure
And the story does not end there! Energy Assistance's first French branch was created in 2005, joined in 2011 by Energy Assistance Monaco and Italy. Whether employed or retired, everyone shares a taste for adventure and a desire to put their electrical skills to work for a noble cause.
When electricity changes lives
Accompanied by another Sibelga technician, our colleague Serge Delgoet installed 21 solar panels in a small village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the help of three local technicians.
Thanks to the new installations, we had the satisfaction of seeing the first ultrasound scan performed.
Contact with the locals
Olivier De Baets was one of the first Sibelga employees to join the ASBL. "One of the strengths of Energy Assistance is that there is prior contact with the local people. When we arrived, they were waiting for us and were present throughout the project," he said when he returned from a mission to Guinea in 2020.
And it's not just a matter of coming to install photovoltaic panels and then leaving: the missions generally include the on-site training of technicians to maintain the installations over the long term.
