In an isolated, mountainous region in Yemen, Hamama struggled without electricity. A widow with no income, she felt trapped by the darkness of night that prevented her from doing the most basic of chores or activities. With support from the World Bank’s International Development Association, Hamama received a small solar system that provided enough electricity to power her home.
"Now I can use the bathroom or kitchen safely at night, and even praying is easier in the light," she said.
Hamama is one of millions of people whose lives have been transformed by IDA. Established in 1960, IDA issues grants and low-interest loans to help low-income countries improve access to education, health, and basic utilities like electricity, boosting economic growth and creating opportunity. As the world navigates the evolving climate crisis, IDA is also a rescue fund for communities living on the frontlines of climate shock.
From expanding energy access for Yemenis like Hamama to promoting job-focused interventions in Rwanda and Tonga, IDA’s impacts are wide-reaching. Explore some of IDA’s stories below.
Powering Communities in Yemen with Solar Energy
Like Hamama, millions of people across Yemen, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas, lacked access to reliable electricity. To alleviate the country’s humanitarian crisis, restore livelihoods, and address people’s most pressing daily needs, the World Bank, with financing from IDA, has been working with UNOPS to improve household access to energy. Under the Yemen Emergency Electricity Access Project, high-quality, small-scale solar solutions have been delivered to families in remote areas, restoring light and hope.
In Sierra Leone, Farmers Boost Resilience with "Miracle Rice"
In West Africa’s coastal farming areas, saltwater encroachment due to rising sea levels and lower rainfall threatens rice crops. The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), with funding from IDA, has helped farmers in Sierra Leone grow “miracle rice” – drought- and salt-tolerant rice varieties – in land that was previously inundated with seawater. The IDA-supported project also supported soil fertility management, improved mangrove technologies, quality seed production, and training, empowering farmers to increase yields, improve food security, and protect the environment.
Creating New Beginnings for Ex-Combatants in Rwanda
Following the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, members of the army and militia fled to the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, where many of them continued to fight and often spent decades struggling to survive. From 2002 to 2017, IDA supported the Government of Rwanda in its efforts to demobilize and reintegrate armed groups and downsize its own military force. Under the Emergency Demobilization and Reintegration Projects, thousands of ex-combatants have returned to receive medical care, shelter and training designed to reintegrate them into Rwanda’s peace-time economy.
Exploring Geothermal Energy in Saint Lucia
The high cost of electricity in Saint Lucia — caused by the dependence on expensive imported petroleum products — has a significant negative impact on the island nation’s competitiveness and growth. In order to diversify the country’s energy resources, the Government of Saint Lucia launched a program to explore geothermal potential for clean power generation. Supported by IDA, the Renewable Energy Sector Development Project is helping the country undertake exploration drilling activities to confirm the existence and quality of geothermal resources for electricity production. The project also focuses on addressing the gender gap in the energy sector through scholarships, apprenticeships, and outreach programs that strengthen electrical and mechanical engineering education and employment opportunities for women.
Tonga’s Pearl Farmers Find New Markets and Opportunities
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, cruise ship traffic in Tonga halted, depriving Tongan mabé pearl farmers of their primary market. The Ministry of Fisheries, with support from IDA through their Halafononga Ki Ha Ngatai Tu’uloa - Pathway to Sustainable Oceans (Tonga) Project, sought out new markets for pearl vendors. Today, previously struggling pearl farmers are benefiting from this new lifeline, with some reporting record revenues. As tourism is returning to Tonga, a new IDA-financed Mabé Pearl Center and workshop supports training and improved quality in artisan pearl processing.
