Winner Updates

Nuru Design- 2009-10 UNEP Sassakawa Prize Laureate

Since Nuru Design won the Sasakawa Prize in 2009-2010 the social enterprise has taken a huge step forward in addressing rural customers need for access to electricity. The adaption of the company name from Nuru Design to Nuru Energy is a visible reflection of the extensive upscale, Nuru has experienced since 2009/2010. Today Nuru Energy has expanded its focus from delivering affordable and clean lighting systems to rural communities in Rwanda and India, as the initial countries involved in the project, to now focus on the entire East African region.

Trees, Water & People (U.S.A.) - 2009-10 UNEP Sassakawa Prize Laureate

Trees, Water & People (TWP) collaborates with local NGOs to distribute fuel-efficient cook stoves which burn less wood, save money, and decrease harmful carbon emissions. The project also includes reforestation efforts which to date account for the planting of three million trees in Latin America. After winning the UNEP Sasakawa Prize in February 2010, TWP co-founder Stuart Conway also received the prestigious Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service given annually by the National Peace Corps Association.

Sunlabob Rural Energy Ltd - 2008 UNEP Sasakawa Prize Laureate

Sunlabob Rural Energy uses solar-home-systems and solar lanterns to bring clean energy to remote rural communities in Lao PDR. Since winning the UNEP Sasakawa Prize in February 2009, Sunlabob has expanded operations in Afghanistan and Uganda; made various technical and assembly improvements as well as a new design for a third generation solar lantern; gained a growing amount of international interest from the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program and the Global Environmental Facility.

Practical Action (Peru) - 2008 UNEP Sasakawa Prize Laureate
Since winning the award, Practical Action has used the prize money to help boost the dissemination of power generating projects in isolated rural areas of Peru. These efforts included: the installation of three new micro-hydro power schemes in Peru which bring power to approximately 850 people, the construction of classrooms inside the Appropriate Technologies Demonstration and Training Centre, the joint financing of two micro-hydro power schemes in Bolivia which will benefit three rural towns and 226 families. Practical Action also performed new studies to explore the possibility of the installation of new micro-hydro power schemes in Bolivia.  Photo: Practical Action brings clean energy to rural communities in Peru. 

Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha (Bangladesh) - 2007 UNEP Sasakawa Prize Laureate
Founded in 1998, Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha helps poor and marginalized people in the remote Chalanbeel region while combating the effects of climate change, particularly devastating floods and rising water levels. The Shidhulai initiative builds flat-bottomed boats from locally available materials, which make their way through the rivers and shallow canals of the region to bring a range of educational services and renewable energy supplies to 88,000 families each year. The project has thrived over the years and has received international attention since winning the UNEP Sasakawa Prize.

CNN Eco Solutions - CNN International
August 2010
Bangladeshis rely on floating schools amid flooding

Don't Tell My Mother - National Geographic Channel
Water World

Time Magazine for Kids (U.S.)
November 6, 2009 (World Report: Vol. #15 Iss. #9)
Staying Afloat

Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Oct 7, 2007
Bangladesh children flock to school on water

Washington Post (U.S.)
September 27, 2007
In Flood-Prone Bangladesh, a Future That Floats

BBC News
Building a secure future in Bangladesh

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) - US, Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal
January 30, 2009 - show 503
Combating Global Warming in Bangladesh

Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, Bangladesh
Directed by Steve Hobbs/Ashden Awards UK

Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
March 28, 2008
After Major Cyclone, Bangladesh Worries about Climate Change

Public Broadcasting Services (PBS)
February 15, 2008
Bangladesh Relief