77.3% of households with acciona.org's electricity service in Panama confirm that their children have improved their school performance, according to a report financed by the International Labor Organization (ILO) regarding the impact of the "Luz en Casa" (Light at Home) Ngäbe Buglé programme in Panama. 75.2% of those surveyed highlighted that a key benefit of access to electricity at home is that it allows greater access to educational resources on the Internet, which facilitates training and qualifications to improve their employability.

Electricity has proven to be a dynamizing element for the communities’ economy. A quarter of the households with the acciona.org service run a small business from home and more than 50% consider setting up a business.

These are some of the conclusions of the study that analyzes and measures the impact of acciona.org's activity in Panama, with the support of the ILO, which financed the study after selecting the acciona.org's model in Ngäbe Buglé as a high-impact solution for a just transition. acciona.org provides a renewable electricity service with affordable fees to remote households in poverty. Its activity in Panama began in 2018 and it already serves 20,000 people in more than 3,600 households in the indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé region.

The results of the study confirm that access to electricity is a factor for gradual income growth. 56.2% of households indicate that the service has allowed them to generate more income and 54.6% of them emphasize that they have more saving capacity. More than half of the households claim that they have reduced their spending on electricity, with average savings of $5.8 per month.

The beneficiaries of acciona.org corroborate that the gradual increase in electricity use in daily life creates new chances for prosperity. Therefore, families have gone from demanding electricity for lighting or charging cell phones to demanding energy to start a business, charge several devices at once, have refrigeration systems or significantly increase household lighting. From an operational viewpoint, the installed PV equipment and systems have demonstrated their flexibility and capacity to cover this growing use.

A final indicator highlighted in the report is that 68.9% of those interviewed said that electricity has improved family health and 61.8% indicated that accidents have decreased as a result of the replacement of candles and fossil fuels.

The study has also drawn attention to the social cohesion and community spirit inherent in the "Luz en Casa" programme, which is essential for its successful implementation. The results show that more than one third of the surveyed households participate in activities related to the operation of the programme and the maintenance of the photovoltaic systems.

In addition to the impact report, the ILO award has made it possible to undertake training initiatives regarding the ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples with community leaders and entrepreneurs, as well as methodology teaching for the creation of sustainable businesses, with special emphasis on women.