Starehe Girls win global Prize over proposed power project

Starehe Girls' Centre students in class in the past. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The award which was launched in 2008 and now in its ninth cycle introduced the High schools’ category in 2012, is part of the UAE leadership’s commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative.
  • The award was presented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Kenya has been put in the global limelight once again after Starehe Girls’ Centre won the Zayed Future Energy Prize in the Global High Schools category during an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arabs Emirates on Monday.

The award which was launched in 2008 and now in its ninth cycle introduced the High schools’ category in 2012, is part of the UAE leadership’s commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative.

The prize seeks to recognise pioneers in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability.

Starehe Girls’ Centre was recognised for a proposed project to implement a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system that will supplement the school’s electricity supply.

Once operational, the PV system will reduce the school’s annual utilities bill by 20 per cent, allowing the institution to enrol an additional 10 girls in the next academic year.

Speaking after the awards ceremony, the director of Zayed Future Energy Prize Nawal Al-Hosany said: “We are delighted to welcome Starehe Girls’ Centre to our growing international community as the winner of the Africa region of the Global High Schools category.”

“We were impressed by the vision shown within their project proposal and the legacy it will leave for future generations of students. Empowering young people is critical to delivering a sustainable future and we hope this school will act as a benchmark for others in the region to think and act sustainably,” he added.

“We are not too young to be involved in helping to raise awareness in our communities and globally about the measures that can be taken to curb global warming by being ambassadors of change in the world who creatively think and implement clean energy development projects,” said the school’s project coordinator Wilkista Onyango.

The award was presented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The category has so far empowered 24 schools to incorporate renewable energy and sustainability into their schools and curricula.

Since its establishment, the Zayed Future Energy Prize has recognised 57 pioneers from around the world and created a growing community, committed to finding solutions that will meet the challenges of climate change, energy security and the environment.