Shine UpdatesA smiling woman in a rural setting

Things are looking bright for Shine in 2019 as we kick off the new year with some exciting news about our campaign growth and leadership.

During the past year, the campaign’s growing number of partners have committed more than $200 million to the clean energy access field. This remarkable, rapid success demonstrates that Shine’s unique approach to bringing philanthropy, finance and faith communities together to catalyze investment and collaboration is addressing a critical need for sustainable, scalable solutions at a critical moment in history. Together, we are making real progress on our shared goal to provide access to clean, affordable and reliable energy for all.

To build momentum for this rising movement, Shine has been working to increase awareness about the energy access field and the vital importance of this issue through presentations at high-profile gatherings of foundation leaders, impact investors and faith communities in North America, Europe, India and Africa.  We were particularly proud to promote the work of Shine partners in key venues in the UK, California, North Carolina, Lisbon and South Africa. Sharing our partners’ success stories helps highlight the communities that are left behind when it comes to traditional approaches to electrification. More importantly, it helps us garner support for “the last mile” efforts that can finally provide these communities with access to energy – and fuel their social and economic development.

We are grateful to our partners and other supporters for helping the campaign take major steps toward ensuring that every person on the planet – especially the world’s most impoverished – have access to safe, clean, reliable, affordable sources of energy.

But our work is far from done:

  • In India, over 300 million people still lack access to electricity.
  • In Africa, investment in energy access declined in 2017.
  • At the end of 2018, an IPCC report warned that we have 12 short years to shift the world’s energy systems onto a sustainable path.
  • The fossil fuel industry continues to push for expanded investment in oil and gas, imperiling our precious planet and her people.

To increase Shine’s capacity to catalyze financial commitments and mobilize principled action for clean energy access, the campaign has strengthened its governance structure with the addition of partners who work on the front lines of the energy access field.  Ajaita Shah of Frontier Markets, Sheela Oparaocha of Energia and Dario Denicola of CEFA-Onlus have joined our Steering Committee, bringing more than 50 years of combined leadership and energy access experience in India and Africa. Their guidance will enable us to sharpen Shine’s strategy and deepen our impact on the two continents with the most intense needs for clean and affordable energy.

We’re also transitioning several roles within the Shine leadership team. Beginning February 1, Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith and a Shine co-founder, will serve as Shine’s Interim Director as I transition into my new role as Senior Advisor to the campaign.  At the same time, experienced campaign leader Emira Wood, who serves on the Board of Action Aid International and the Interim Working Group of Africans Rising for Justice, Peace, and Dignity, will join the team as our Senior Program Consultant. Fletcher and Emira represent the best of what Shine is about: values-driven leaders who have worked at the nexus of philanthropy, faith, development, climate and poverty for decades. They join Mark Correnti, Managing Director of Investments, and Dwayne Linville, Director of Operations, to build upon our foundation and move Shine forward.

I will remain committed to Shine in an advisory capacity and continue to champion energy access as a key driver for realizing care for the Earth and addressing the needs of marginalized communities. Our co-founding partners at the Wallace Global Fund, IKEA Foundation, SE For All and GreenFaith are excited as we collectively launch what will be another banner year for the campaign.