Rewiring the System
Launched by KE in 2021, the Roshni Baji Programme is an award-winning women neighbourhood ambassador programme initiated to enhance the connection between KE and its customers. Building on the insight that women and children in low-lying communities are more vulnerable to electrocution incidents inside homes due to faulty equipment and unsafe behaviors, female safety ambassadors go door-to-door demonstrating the importance of electrical safety, encouraging conversion to safer legal electricity connections as well as sharing tips on energy conservation.
While recognized for tapping into a key insight for creating a safe, comfortable environment for women to learn about critical safety precautions with ease, the Roshni Baji Programme has also emerged as a compelling example of women breaking barriers in the energy sector and opening up non-traditional paths to inclusion.
Challenging The Status Quo
Choosing to challenge is never easy. The Roshni Baji Programme was designed as a holistic empowerment program that could anticipate and meet the challenges the women could face in the field. The Roshni Bajis are provided with extensive trainings for personal and professional capacity building. These include:
- Workshops on Personal development, stress management, and life-skills to build confidence and improve problem-solving skills.
- Enhanced communication skill trainings.
- Motorbike riding classes, to enhance mobility in the absence of safe public transport for women in Pakistan.
- Self-Defense training to increase the sense of confidence and safety.
Pakistan’s First Female Certified Electrician Training Programme
To build the Roshni Baji’s knowledge on electrical systems and secure their future livelihood, 40 women from the pilot cohort graduated from Pakistan’s first female certified electrician training program. The certification entailed 8000 man-hours of training.
The training allows them to successfully deploy complete internal wiring on a single-phase supply of up to 5kW from the electric utility’s meters to the distribution board of a home.
Additionally, they have been trained to calculate the load and energy consumption of appliances, which can be used to ensure that the electricity supply inside homes is safe and reliable and create awareness on energy conservation practices as well. They also have easier access to communities where homes are predominantly occupied by women during working hours; almost 50% of our daytime users are women.
Photo Gallery
S&P Award
KE was awarded the S&P Global Energy Awards – the Oscar of the Energy Sector, in the Corporate Social Responsibility category, for the Roshni Baji Programme. The Award, a first for Pakistan, was given in recognition of the meaningful impact the Roshni Baji Programme continues to make in societies and communities.
Media Articles
- https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/899072-ke-signs-up-to-embed-sustainab
- https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/you/898948-women-who-are-rewiring-the-system
- https://www.ke.com.pk/transforming-the-diversity-inclusion-landscape-of-pakistan-ke-launches-2nd-cohort-of-roshni-baji-program/
- https://dailytimes.com.pk/874451/the-resilient-women-of-pakistan/
- https://www.geo.tv/latest/338491-k-electrics-roshni-baji-programme-wom
- https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/916557-ke-wins-platts-energy-award
- https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/893578-nepra-chairman-lauds-programme