OLLAGÜE

Ollagüe, a small village close to the Bolivian border is where we meet Janett.

Janett still remembers when the village had electricity only between 5pm and 1am. She particularly remembers the cold, as Ollagüe's temperatures drop sharply and the only heating possible is through electricity.

Luckily, this is all in the past. Today, thanks to CIF and Inter-American Development Bank, Ollagüe benefits from 24/7 access to energy, solar panels connected to a battery for storing energy. So, long gone are the cold winters, as the community can count on electric heaters.

Ollagüe and its community are no longer isolated from the rest of the world, as they can connect through laptops and smartphones. And Janett also points out how they finally have access to healthcare, they can refrigerate their food, feel safer as the streets are lit, and she proudly talks about her upcoming degree, obtained online. A story of true transformation.

"Nowadays we have electricity 24 hours a day and if the children get sick, we can ring a doctor," she said.

For Janett and her community, the dependable electricity provided by solar panels are nothing less than life changing.