Bringing light and opportunity to Bongaba, Brazil

From lighting homes to building skills

Having already brought light to 460 residents in Bongaba, a Quilombola community in Rio de Janeiro, through 30 solar-powered lighting poles installed last year, Fondation Nexans and Nexans Brazil are teaming up again with Litro de Luz to empower the community further. This year’s initiative focuses on creating local opportunities and promoting sustainable energy for the residents in the community. Nine Bongaba residents underwent a technical course in solar panel installation, equipping them with new certifications and broadening their career prospects.

Building a brighter future

Nine students from the community and region completed a technical course. The training program included hands-on sessions in solar installation, where participants learned about safety certifications like NR-10 (Electrical Safety) and NR-35 (Working at Heights and First Aid), as well as job market insights.

They then put their skills to the test by installing a photovoltaic generator in their community association. This generator delivers a capacity of 5.18 KWp, expected to generate approximately 684 KWh per month. The community association will use this energy for various activities, marking another important phase in Bongaba's electrification journey. To further enrich their learning experience, the participants visited the Nexans Brazil facility in Rio de Janeiro. They gained valuable insights through a plant tour into solar cable manufacturing and received technical training from our internal teams in Engineering, Quality, and Maintenance.

United in purpose

Finally, in a Townhall meeting, Litro de Luz presented the last year's achievements to Nexans Brazil employees and invited volunteers to join the final phase: installing photovoltaic panels at the Residents' Association building, a place dedicated to community activities.

Once again, Nexans Brazil's employees describe their experience in the Fondation Nexans and Litro de Luz project with one word: United. Employees and families joined forces as volunteers in Bongaba, engaging the Quilombola community in sustainable energy solutions, creating lasting change.