Light For Everyone
Everything changed in January 2019, when Luz Para Todos brought energy to the community where Biquinha lives.
“The right to live in rural areas with dignity”. This phrase well represents the Light for All program, carried out by Neoenergia in partnership with the Federal Government in order to promote the universalization of electricity in rural areas. The words were spoken by Julinda dos Santos, known as Biquinha, a resident of the Fundão Community in the municipality of Conde (BA). She is one of the 2.4 million people who benefited from Light for All in Bahia from its implementation in 2004 to September 2020. The program, which will continue in the Bahian territory until December 2021, has already passed through Pernambuco, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio Grande do Norte — Neoenergy concession areas — transforming people's lives and the city scene.
Biquinha knows very well the impact that energy had on her daily life. A housewife and farmer with two children, she tells what it was like before the electricity arrived: “Life was more difficult. We could only find out the news and events on the radio a pile, the food was salty to last longer, the dark of the night put everyone to bed early, the soap operas were just stories told by the visitors”.
All that changed in January 2019, when Luz Para Todos brought energy to the community where Biquinha lives. “Today it seems like another world here at Fundão. The TV makes children and adults happy with so many things they have never seen before, we have access to information and we can talk about new topics, we have a refrigerator to put the food, so we don't need to eat so much salt anymore, the water became fresher and colder, and the pump in the river brings water to the houses,” she says.
The benefits go beyond those that exist in everyday life, such as having a refrigerator and television. Biquinha reports that she noticed improvements in health care and nutrition, especially for children, and now everyone is happier to live in the Fundão Community. “The energy made us see life with more perspective. They say that we live in a paradise and that is why our friends and family visit us more. No matter the distance, if people could, they would live here too”, he concludes.
In Bahia, there are already 664,000 homes serviced by Luz Para Todos over a period of 16 years, reaching the highest number of new connections among all Brazilian states. The works cover 415 cities in Bahia and the goal is to energize the entire state by 2021, consolidating universalization in Bahia. “We are very proud to be part of the achievements of Light for All, which has transformed so many lives. The satisfaction of seeing energy arrive at these locations is immense, mainly because we know the positive impact it brings to each one,” says Mayline Pinto, supervisor of the Light Management Unit for All at Neoenergy.
Joana Guedes, a resident of the municipality of Extremoz (RN), has a lot to say. She has lived there for over 20 years and, in 2005, she saw the energy arrive at her house, a moment marked by great expectation and happiness. “I was always happy, but when the energy arrived, that's when I was really happy,” she says with a smile.
Among the achievements achieved with the arrival of electricity, she highlights something simple, but which often does not receive the proper value: juicing the fruit in a blender and drinking the soft drink cold. “Before, I needed to squeeze fruits, such as acerola, cashew, and mango, by hand,” she explains.
Another achievement came with the celebration of her daughter's wedding party in the backyard of the house. “She got married in 2006, shortly after the energy arrived here, so it was very good, because I sent everyone to call us, illuminated the entire backyard, it was the most beautiful thing,” she remembers happily.
Similar joy is shared by Maria de Fátima da Silva, a resident of Ceará-Mirim (RN). When she moved to the place, she had to get rid of all her appliances, as the residence had no electricity. “At that time, when it was six o'clock, we already had to have dinner and go to bed, because there was no entertainment. I needed to light a candle or kerosene lamp,” she says.
It was almost a year before the program Light for All arrived in the town where Maria de Fátima lives. “The Cosern employee came looking for my name and said that he was going to put energy in my house, so for me it was very satisfying, I cried and was hard to believe. I asked 'is it true? ' , he confirmed it and I just wanted to thank him, while he looked at me without understanding why I was thanking him so much. But only those who don't have energy know how good it is when it arrives”, she summarizes.
In Rio Grande do Norte, Luz Para Todos was active between 2004 and 2015, during which time the State received works from Cosern so that energy could reach all municipalities in Potiguares. As a result, the Neoenergia utility counts 57,654 connections made under the program during the 11 years.
In Pernambuco, the Celpe concession area, the number of new homes benefited by Luz Para Todos reached 102,157 between 2004 and 2015. Elektro, which operates in 223 municipalities in the interior of São Paulo and five in Mato Grosso do Sul, was responsible for 49,458 new connections between 2005 and 2016.
“All of these achievements are the result of Neoenergia's commitment to strengthening people and communities. The initiatives are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations, with a special focus on SDG number 7, which provides access to affordable and clean energy. In this way, we act in order to provide such an essential asset with energy, bringing quality of life to everyone”, concludes the Neoenergia supervisor.
Biquinha knows very well the impact that energy had on her daily life. A housewife and farmer with two children, she tells what it was like before the electricity arrived: “Life was more difficult. We could only find out the news and events on the radio a pile, the food was salty to last longer, the dark of the night put everyone to bed early, the soap operas were just stories told by the visitors”.
All that changed in January 2019, when Luz Para Todos brought energy to the community where Biquinha lives. “Today it seems like another world here at Fundão. The TV makes children and adults happy with so many things they have never seen before, we have access to information and we can talk about new topics, we have a refrigerator to put the food, so we don't need to eat so much salt anymore, the water became fresher and colder, and the pump in the river brings water to the houses,” she says.
The benefits go beyond those that exist in everyday life, such as having a refrigerator and television. Biquinha reports that she noticed improvements in health care and nutrition, especially for children, and now everyone is happier to live in the Fundão Community. “The energy made us see life with more perspective. They say that we live in a paradise and that is why our friends and family visit us more. No matter the distance, if people could, they would live here too”, he concludes.
In Bahia, there are already 664,000 homes serviced by Luz Para Todos over a period of 16 years, reaching the highest number of new connections among all Brazilian states. The works cover 415 cities in Bahia and the goal is to energize the entire state by 2021, consolidating universalization in Bahia. “We are very proud to be part of the achievements of Light for All, which has transformed so many lives. The satisfaction of seeing energy arrive at these locations is immense, mainly because we know the positive impact it brings to each one,” says Mayline Pinto, supervisor of the Light Management Unit for All at Neoenergy.
Stories of joy
Joana Guedes, a resident of the municipality of Extremoz (RN), has a lot to say. She has lived there for over 20 years and, in 2005, she saw the energy arrive at her house, a moment marked by great expectation and happiness. “I was always happy, but when the energy arrived, that's when I was really happy,” she says with a smile.
Among the achievements achieved with the arrival of electricity, she highlights something simple, but which often does not receive the proper value: juicing the fruit in a blender and drinking the soft drink cold. “Before, I needed to squeeze fruits, such as acerola, cashew, and mango, by hand,” she explains.
Another achievement came with the celebration of her daughter's wedding party in the backyard of the house. “She got married in 2006, shortly after the energy arrived here, so it was very good, because I sent everyone to call us, illuminated the entire backyard, it was the most beautiful thing,” she remembers happily.
Similar joy is shared by Maria de Fátima da Silva, a resident of Ceará-Mirim (RN). When she moved to the place, she had to get rid of all her appliances, as the residence had no electricity. “At that time, when it was six o'clock, we already had to have dinner and go to bed, because there was no entertainment. I needed to light a candle or kerosene lamp,” she says.
It was almost a year before the program Light for All arrived in the town where Maria de Fátima lives. “The Cosern employee came looking for my name and said that he was going to put energy in my house, so for me it was very satisfying, I cried and was hard to believe. I asked 'is it true? ' , he confirmed it and I just wanted to thank him, while he looked at me without understanding why I was thanking him so much. But only those who don't have energy know how good it is when it arrives”, she summarizes.
In Rio Grande do Norte, Luz Para Todos was active between 2004 and 2015, during which time the State received works from Cosern so that energy could reach all municipalities in Potiguares. As a result, the Neoenergia utility counts 57,654 connections made under the program during the 11 years.
In Pernambuco, the Celpe concession area, the number of new homes benefited by Luz Para Todos reached 102,157 between 2004 and 2015. Elektro, which operates in 223 municipalities in the interior of São Paulo and five in Mato Grosso do Sul, was responsible for 49,458 new connections between 2005 and 2016.
“All of these achievements are the result of Neoenergia's commitment to strengthening people and communities. The initiatives are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations, with a special focus on SDG number 7, which provides access to affordable and clean energy. In this way, we act in order to provide such an essential asset with energy, bringing quality of life to everyone”, concludes the Neoenergia supervisor.