Hot water for kindergartens in Moldova

Energy is expensive in Moldova. The nation doesn’t have fossil fuels of its own, so fuels like coal and natural gas are imported. That means that many of the things that we may take for granted, like electricity and hot water, are extremely expensive for families in rural Moldova.

We’re helping change this equation through our Renewable Energy Technologies program. We support the work of local organization Ormax, which is working to make solar-powered technology (among others) more widely available as an alternative to these expensive conventional energy sources. In particular, we’ve focused on installing solar-powered hot water systems at preschools. We’ve helped 10 schools add hot water systems. Some of the schools didn’t have any water heaters installed. Others had very old systems that were in need of repair, but the local authorities couldn’t afford the needed renovations.

Thanks to this program, this year alone about 420 students now have hot water in the school bathrooms to wash their hands. It’s also a major improvement for the school kitchens and cafeterias, which have hot water for cooking, drinking and washing dishes.