Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) through Renewable Energy-Based

In the quiet hills of Kandhamal, Odisha, where dense forests and winding dirt roads stretch for miles, live thousands of tribal families isolated not only by geography—but also by poverty and limited access to basic services. For Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in this region, life has long been a story of silence, dependence, and invisibility.

But not anymore.

Meet Salman Pradhan, a young man from a small village in Daringbadi. Born with a physical disability, Salman had spent most of his life confined to the walls of his home. With no electricity, no formal employment opportunities, and limited mobility, he was often seen as a burden by his community. “I had dreams,” he says, “but no tools to turn them into reality.”

That changed when our organization, Kandhamal Zilla Sabuja Vaidya Sangathan (KZSVS), introduced solar-powered mobile livelihood kits for PwDs. With support from partners and donors, Salman received a tricycle equipped with a solar-powered Xerox and printing unit. Today, he rides from village to village offering essential documentation services—PAN cards, birth certificates, ration forms—to people who would otherwise travel 10-15 km to the nearest town.

“Now I earn ₹300 to ₹500 a day. People know me, they respect me. They wait for me,” he says, proudly.

Salman’s is just one of many stories that show us what's possible when dignity meets opportunity.

We’ve already supported 10 PwDs with DRE-based livelihoods, from solar sewing machines to turmeric grinders, from mobile digital kiosks to solar irrigation pumps. But hundreds more are waiting. Many live in darkness—both literal and metaphorical—cut off from the world of work and worth.

You can help us change that.