With a grant from USAID Power Africa and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), LEN in partnership with the Firestone Agricultural & Workers Union (FAWUL), the largest labor organization in Liberia, successfully established 4245 new off-grid connections providing rubber tappers and their families living in scattered “camps” across the one million acre Firestone rubber plantation. For these workers, living in the camps without electricity or running water, it was the first time they had access to basic electrical light and power. The program was so successful that after a site visit by the grantor’s auditor, USADF on its own initiative increased the grant funding from $100,000 to $150,000 to support expansion of the program.
