From torchlight to lifesaving healthcare in refugee-hosting communities in Tanzania

Until recently, darkness was one of the biggest challenges facing Kigadye Dispensary, a health facility serving communities in refugee-hosting Kasulu District in Tanzania’s Kigoma Region.

Located about 40 kilometres from Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, the dispensary provides essential healthcare services to thousands of Tanzanians from Kigadye Village and more than five surrounding villages in an area that has hosted refugees for decades. Yet for years, the facility operated without reliable electricity, making it difficult for health workers to provide life-saving services, especially at night.

In 2024, that changed. UNHCR, with support from the Swedish Postcode Lottery and Sweden for UNHCR, solarized four health facilities across Kigoma Region, including Kigadye Dispensary. The initiative is part of broader efforts to strengthen services in refugee-hosting communities and ensure that local populations benefit alongside refugees.

For Dr. Akwilin Ubamba, a Medical Doctor at Kigadye Dispensary, the transformation has been remarkable. “Before the solar panels were installed, providing care at night was extremely difficult,” he recalls. “Sometimes patients arrived carrying their own torches so we could have light while attending to them. It was especially challenging during deliveries, when good visibility can make a critical difference for both the mother and the baby.”

The impact extends beyond the facility itself. Since there is no electricity supply in the village, the solar-powered lighting has made it easier and safer for healthcare workers to travel between their staff quarters and the health centre during night emergencies.

“The facility is now well lit throughout the night,” says Dr. Ubamba. “Both patients and medical staff feel safer, and we can provide services with greater confidence.”

Reliable electricity has also expanded the range of services available at the dispensary. The facility now operates a neonatal incubator provided by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania through the Ministry of Health. The equipment is used to care for premature, low-birth-weight, and other vulnerable newborns by providing a controlled environment that helps regulate body temperature and supports their survival during the critical first days of life.

“The incubator has helped save the lives of many newborns, particularly babies born to first-time mothers,” says Dr. Ubamba. “We also use a refrigerator to safely store medicines. None of this would be possible without reliable power.”

For 18-year-old mother Violet Kamangaza, who delivered her baby at the dispensary the previous night, the difference was immediately noticeable. “It felt like daytime,” she says while looking at her baby. “I did not feel the difference between giving birth during the day and at night because there was enough light everywhere.”

Violet remembers a very different experience when caring for her first child several years ago. “When it was dark, it was difficult to manage a newborn, especially if the baby cried during the night,” she recalls. “Something as simple as going to the washroom became stressful. You worried about leaving the baby alone in the dark, but it was also difficult to carry the baby everywhere. Having light makes mothers feel secure.”

According to Malika Shakya, UNHCR Public Health Officer, the solarization project demonstrates the impact of investing in public services for refugee-hosting communities.

“UNHCR works closely with the Ministry of Health to provide support to both host communities and the refugees,” she explains. “The regional and district health authorities identify facilities that require urgent support, helping us ensure that assistance reaches places where it can have the greatest impact.”

“The results have been significant,” says Malika. “Before the solar system was installed, the health centres relied heavily on diesel generators, which were costly to operate and often limited the hours during which electricity was available. Today, our dependence on fuel has been drastically reduced, lowering operational costs and ensuring a reliable power supply.”

Over the last two years, the solarization project has saved more than 286,000 litres of diesel and generated over USD 340,000 in operational savings, helping ensure reliable healthcare services while demonstrating the value of sustainable energy solutions for refugees and host communities.

While acknowledging that many facilities still need similar support, she notes that the project has already transformed lives in the communities it reached.

Kigadye Village is one of many communities in western Tanzania that have generously hosted refugees for decades, sharing land, resources and public services with people forced to flee conflict and persecution.

As humanitarian funding comes under increasing pressure, continued investments in essential services such as health, education, water and sanitation, environmental conservation, renewable energy, and livelihoods remains critical to strengthening resilience and improve living conditions for both refugees and host communities in Kigoma Region.

However, sustaining and expanding such gains remains increasingly challenging at a time when UNHCR in Tanzania was only 26 per cent funded against comprehensive needs of USD 81.1 million as of 30 September 2026. Continued investment in innovative, sustainable and life-changing solutions like the solarization of health facilities, will be critical to ensuring refugees and host communities can continue to access essential services and opportunities for years to come.

As the sun sets over Kigadye, mothers arriving at the dispensary no longer need to carry torches. Instead, they are welcomed by bright lights, functioning medical equipment, and healthcare workers better equipped to provide the care they need, powered by a partnership that is helping leave no one behind.