The problem
Nicaragua has 5.6 million people. 40% have no access to electricity. The other 60% are faced with constant blackouts and brownouts.
This problem is not limited to Nicaragua. Take a look this chart:
| Country | Population (in millions) | % Without Electricity |
| Nicaragua | 5.6 | 40% |
| Dominican Republic | 9.2 | 4.5% |
| El Salvador | 6.8 | 35% |
| Honduras | 7.3 | 30% |
| Guatemala | 12.3 | 30% |
| Belize | 0.3 | 12% |
| Costa Rica | 4.0 | 7% |
| Total | 39.9 | 31% |
Here's a simple truth about the world we live in: over two billion people live without electricity. What does that actually mean? It means life is incredibly more difficult for a third of the world's population than it is for the rest of us. Lighting, cooking, heating, grooming, and education—all require volts and watts. These people are living this way not by choice but because they lack the resources to do otherwise.
More importantly, it's a serious health hazard: it's well documented that soot in homes in combination with disease is the top killer for children under five in developing nations.
So, knowing these facts, what is there to be done?
