They couldn't read or write, now these African grandmothers are solar engineers bringing electricity to 75,000 homes

For years, darkness shaped everyday life in several remote African villages. Children struggled to study after sunset, families depended on kerosene lamps and candles, and even ordinary household activities became difficult once night fell.

But some of the women who once lived through these conditions are now helping change them. Despite having little or no formal education, rural mothers and grandmothers have trained as solar engineers, learning to assemble, install and repair solar lighting systems.

They are taking that knowledge back to their communities, helping households access electricity and showing that technical skills do not have to come from a classroom.The initiative is part of the Solar Mamas programme run by India's Barefoot College. According to the organisation, it has trained 1,708 rural women from 96 countries, helping bring electricity to more than 75,000 households and saving an estimated 45 million litres of kerosene.