For episode 246, we welcome back Jon Ruth and Coleen Chase, Co-Founders of The Solar Foundation, a nonprofit accelerating access to off-grid solar & productive appliances for underserved communities in Africa. They are also behind the innovative Solar Savings Circles project, which seeds communities with solar assets like lanterns, and leverages them as the foundation for savings groups that can grow, invest, and build local resilience.
What makes this work so compelling is the philosophy behind it. This isn't traditional philanthropy where resources flow in from outside and create dependency. It's community development, where local groups own the process, make the decisions, and drive their own progress.
In this episode, we'll explore how The Solar Foundation came to be, how the Solar Savings Circles model works, and what it looks like to partner with grassroots organizations like JUKUMU TZ, a network of over 200 savings groups, and NEDA Labs, who are building the digital infrastructure to support them.
This episode will be just the beginning of a series of conversations exploring the incredible work of The Solar Foundation and their partners in Tanzania. In upcoming episodes, we'll hear directly from the NEDA Labs team about the technology they're building, including a local stablecoin, and from JUKUMU TZ, who will share stories of impact from the ground.
In today’s episode you’ll discover:
☀️ How decentralized solar assets and community savings circles are combining to create a powerful model for grassroots economic empowerment
🌍 Why community development, not traditional philanthropy, is the key to sustainable impact, and how The Solar Foundation is putting that philosophy into practice
🔗 How a network of over 200 savings groups in Tanzania is partnering with local tech builders to create digital infrastructure for grassroots economic empowerment
☀️ Solar is more than environmental work. It's community development and economic empowerment: When we think about solar energy, we often think about climate and sustainability. But for underserved communities, solar is so much more. It's light to study by, power to run a small business, and an asset that can be collectively owned and leveraged. The Solar Foundation understands this deeply: solar isn't just about reducing emissions. It's about unlocking opportunity, building resilience, and creating pathways to economic empowerment that communities control themselves.
🤝 Community development, not charity, creates lasting change: Traditional philanthropy often flows in one direction: resources come from outside, decisions are made elsewhere, and communities become recipients rather than leaders. The Solar Foundation takes a different approach. Their model is rooted in community development, where local groups own the process, make the decisions, and drive their own progress. This isn't about doing things for communities. It's about doing things with them, and trusting that they know best what they need.
🌱 When communities are given the basics, extraordinary things happen: Sometimes what seems like the smallest actions can spark the biggest transformations. For many of the savings groups in Tanzania, a solar lantern is the first asset they've ever collectively owned. And from that simple starting point, they're saving money, funding businesses, pooling resources for solar water pumps, and building economic resilience together. It's a powerful reminder that communities don't need to be rescued. They need to be resourced and given the space to lead.
02:45 - To start, can you each share a bit about your journey? What led you to your work at The Solar Foundation?
10:40 - For listeners who may not be familiar, can you give us an introduction to The Solar Foundation and the Solar Savings Circles project? What's the mission, and what have you been working on?
16:00 - The model of seeding communities with solar assets, like lanterns, as a starting point for savings groups is really compelling. Can you walk us through how this unique model?
19:55 - There's a strong thread in your work around community development versus traditional philanthropy. Can you talk about that distinction and why it matters to how you approach this work?
27:40 - You're working with JUKUMU TZ, a network of over 200 savings groups in Tanzania. How did that partnership come about, and what makes JUKUMU such an important partner in this work?
32:20 - You've also partnered with NEDA Labs on the technology side, including a Digital Hub for savings groups. Can you tell us about that collaboration and what the tech enables?
42:20 - For listeners who want to learn more, support the work, or get involved, where should they go?
44:30 - We'll be hearing directly from your partners in Tanzania in upcoming episodes. But before we get there, is there a story from the ground that you'd love to share, something that gives listeners a glimpse of the impact of your work?
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While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More available HERE.
