Summit and Friendship to develop solar village in Gaibandha
Photo caption: A grant agreement was signed between Summit Corporation and Friendship to develop a 54 KW solar village in hard-to-reach Kabilpur char, Gaibandha.
(Dhaka) August 23, 2022, Tuesday:Today, as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Summit, the largest infrastructure conglomerate of Bangladesh has committed a joint development of ‘Friendship-Summit Solar Village Project’ (“Solar Village”) with Friendship, an international Social Purpose Organization with focus on climate change adaptation, in hard-to-reach char area in Gaibandha district.
When functional in February 2023, it will be generating 54 Kilowatt (KW) benefiting 205 ultra-poor households, a local market consisting of 26 shops, four primary schools, one Madrasa and Friendship’s Legal Information Booth, which are presently off-grid. Summit pledges about BDT 1.5 Crore for the development including 61 decimal land lease, solar panel installation, related logistics and maintenance in Kabilpur char area till 2026.
Latif Khan, Vice-Chairman of Summit Group of Companies remarked, “At Summit, we are strategically looking into green energy. As part of CSR we are initiating this solar village with Friendship. In parallel, we are also studying utility scale viability of solar and wind power generation in Bangladesh.”
Runa Khan, Founder and Executive Director of Friendship said, “Anyone who has seen the mighty River Jamuna in spate, will understand that grids are really not possible here. On the other hand, this solar grid will provide income generating livelihoods and opportunities for children’s education.” She added that electricity also contributes to the safety and security in the village, for example by preventing burns and other health impacts from kerosene lamps, and by providing light in the evenings.
Azeeza Aziz Khan ACA, Director of Summit Group and Member of CSR Committee, Azharul Hoque FCA, Director of Summit Corporation, Md Mozammel Hossain, Managing Director of Summit Gazipur II Power and Summit Ace Alliance Power, Rahad Husain, GM (Finance) and Col Jawad-Ul Islam (Retd), Senior GM of Summit Corporation Limited were present at the signing ceremony among other senior officials.
About Friendship: In Bangladesh, a country facing the most pressing of humanity’s challenges, Friendship strengthens marginalized communities and empowers people to transform their lives and reach their full potential. Operational since 2002, the international Social Purpose organization reaches 6 million people every year, in the most remote areas impacted by climate change, through an innovative, integrated development model. Its 3,000+ employees, of which over 50% are recruited from within the communities, as well as its international network are geared by a set of strong values and a vision where people have equal opportunities to live with dignity and hope. More information www.friendship.ngo
About Summit’s CSR activities: Summit is the largest infrastructure conglomerate in Bangladesh and we believe in making a positive impact on the communities where we operate through our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. We have long-standing partnerships with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support projects that improve access to education, arts & culture, sports, healthcare and social services for underprivileged individuals. Summit has a CSR Committee represented by senior leadership of the company and has been awarded for its effort.
For further enquiry:
Summit Corporation: Mohsena Hassan, Email: mohsena.hassan@summit-centre.com, Mobile: +8801713081905
Friendship: Tanjina Sharmin, Email: tanjinasharmin@friendship.ngo,Mobile +88 01711965071