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ACCESS TO ENERGY EMPOWERS THOSE WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY DEPRIVED OF IT"In 2026, Electriciens sans frontières will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Forty years of a journey marked by commitment and concrete action, deeply held convictions, and active solidarity with disadvantaged communities. For many of us, this journey is not just that of an NGO: it is a way of life, a meaningful choice.
Ever since our first assignments, a simple idea has guided us...
… access to electricity changes everything.
It provides lighting for a classroom, ensures the safety of a health center, facilitates access to water, and helps create a source of income. Access to energy empowers those who were previously deprived of it. Over the years, we have seen firsthand what “access to energy” really means: it is never a luxury; it is a turning point.
Our anniversary cannot be merely a celebration of our history: it is also an opportunityto look toward the future. Today, the world seems to be growing darker, and crises are multiplying: climate disasters, protracted conflicts, mass population displacements, food insecurity… Everywhere, needs are growing—becoming more urgent and more complex—yet the means to address them are under threat in many places, notably due to the alarming decline in official development assistance. This unacceptable paradox, which we experience firsthand, undermines years of progress and hits hundreds of millions of disadvantaged women, men, and children the hardest.
In the face of this, resignation is not an option when we see so many women and men on the ground taking action, innovating, and holding onto hope. Our volunteers, our local partners, and our supporters refuse to give up. Day after day, they prove that solidarity is not an abstract idea but a force in action.
These 40 years fill us with as much pride as they do a sense of responsibility
Building on our track record, our technical expertise, and our capacity for action and adaptation, we will continue to uphold a fundamental principle: to help make international solidarity a political priority by embodying the fundamental right of access to clean energy for all.
Now more than ever, we need a collective, clear-eyed, and determined commitment, because our struggle is about dignity, justice, and the role we choose to give to solidarity in a world in crisis.
Now in its 40th year, Electricians Without Borders continues to move forward, driven by those who have always refused to accept that darkness is inevitable.
Hervé Gouyet, Vice President of Electriciens sans frontières
