It is a bit too far down 2022 to say ‘happy new year!’ For one, it may not be turning out to be such a ‘happy’, year as current global events unfold. But it indeed a New Year, a new phase for us at The Shine Campaign, as we enter a new phase on our journey towards ensuring distributed, clean and renewable energy for all.
I am pleased to share with you the shorter version of Shine’s Strategy 2022-24. Our goal remains; To catalyse collaborations that unlock resources to integrate decentralized energy solutions into efforts to improve lives, livelihoods and rights in the Global South.
What’s new?
We have sharpened our mission; ‘Shine mobilizes a blend of financial resources from values-based investors and funders and shapes the energy access and climate conversations while promoting and resourcing women and community-led innovations and bold, just energy partnerships in the Global South’. Building on our track record over the past three + years, and informed by the ever-evolving context around us as well as changes in the whole renewable energy ecosystem, we will streamline our work and initiatives around four programmes;
- Mobilizing new and additional resources; this includes both philanthropy money as well as social-impact investments
- Promoting and supporting community-based and women-led innovation in just energy
- Amplifying learning and (re)shaping the renewable energy field
- Advocating and spotlighting just energy-solutions, (especially those led by and focused on last-mile communities and women’s priorities).
In doing the above, the new strategy explicitly states WHO, whose voices, rights, needs as well as innovations and initiatives we will prioritize; i.e. last mile communities and women.
In this strategy period we position renewable energy access not only as a rights and justice issue in and of itself, but also as means towards particular ends. An enabler of;
- Development; in whatever way people who are directly impacted define it, and achievement of social outcomes in areas such as healthcare and or education.
- Livelihoods and economic empowerment;
- Gender equity; through women’s economic empowerment as well as reduction of unpaid care and time-poverty.
All this means we will not only maintain our existing partnerships as well as pursue and build new ones. Of particular note, is that we aim to strengthen the partnership with faith communities and faith investors, and pursuing new ones within women’s movements and women-led initiatives.
I invite you all to take a look at this short version of the Strategy HERE
The fuller version will be available in due course.
Staff movements
It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to two members of our team, who are moving onto other spaces. Sandra Smithey, who has led our work with Philanthropies as well as the Women’s Council in designing and implementing the COVID 19 fund, has decided to go into retirement.
Emira Woods has led our advocacy, networking and partnership building. She and Sandra worked together with the Women’s Council on the COVID19 fund.
Colleagues, please help me to thank Emira and Sandra for their work which has contributed to Shine’s visibility, growth and focus. I have greatly benefitted from these two sisters’ love, solidarity, and guidance as I eased into my role and into the sector. But I know this is not really ‘goodbye’, it is more, ‘see you later sisters!’
As with any strategy, we will start now to redesign the Shine Campaign team and governance structures with a view to bumping up our capacity to deliver on our ambitions.
What to expect in March
We will use the month of March to roll out the strategy through opportunities in front of us;
- March 8th International Women’s Day; Shine will work with other partners to drum up more support for the Gender and Energy Compact. Look out for our messages and events on all our social media platforms
- United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66), to be held from March 14th to 25th has as its priority theme; Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes. Again, we will use our participation in different side events to amplify and make visible the importance of Just Energy for women and girls and their innovations and solutions in last-mile communities.
I look forward to working with all of you in the implementation of our new strategy. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any ideas, suggestions for joint activities and opportunities we need to step into.
Please note our new email protocols. It is first name.last name@theshinecampaign.org Kindly delete the previous @shineinvest addresses.
My best regards as always
Everjoice J. Win
Executive Director