“To be a teacher is to hold the power to transform not just individual lives, but the very course of society,” says Mr. Ajay Yadav, Principal of the Government Senior Secondary School in Nandrampur Bass, a village nestled in Haryana’s Rewari district. 

With over 30 years of experience in the field of education, Mr. Yadav joined the school in May 2023 with a vision to create a more enabling environment for students. His journey began with small yet significant changes, but one challenge remained persistent — access to reliable electricity. 

The school is a vital learning hub for hundreds of children from nearby villages. Despite being situated in a relatively well-connected area, the school struggled with frequent power cuts. “If you switched on the one power point available, all fans and lights would come on — or none at all,” Mr. Yadav recalls. Additionally, certain classrooms only had a single fan while some didn’t even have one, making it difficult to stay cool during the summer months. Water supply, too, depended on an underground pump, could not always be relied upon. 

With the support of teachers, villagers and the School Management Committee, Mr. Yadav helped raise nearly ₹1 lakh to install additional fans and improve water access. Yet the school continued to face challenges, particularly in the use of digital learning tools and in maintaining a comfortable classroom environment. 

That’s when Habitat for Humanity India, in partnership with Teleperformance stepped in. After a thoughtful needs assessment, the installation of a 10-kW off-grid solar power system was identified as a sustainable solution to the school's energy needs. 

The impact was immediate. Classrooms became brighter and cooler. Fans and lights ran uninterrupted and digital tools such as smart boards and projectors were back in regular use. Students like Ritima, a Class 12 Commerce student who dreams of becoming a Business Studies teacher, could feel the difference: “Earlier, we had to wait in long queues for water. The heat made it hard for us to focus on our studies. Now, with regular electricity, it's much easier — and we can use water coolers too,” she says. 

The benefits extended beyond the classroom. The school premises are now well-lit after dark, improving safety and allowing CCTV monitoring through mobile devices. Science labs for Physics, Chemistry and Biology have become fully functional, offering students hands-on learning opportunities that were previously difficult to facilitate. 

To ensure the continued success of this solar initiative, Habitat India conducted a technical orientation with school staff on the maintenance and upkeep of the system — empowering them to independently manage the solar panels and battery units for years to come. 

Thanks to this intervention, nearly 700 students and 57 staff members now experience the benefits of a more stable and sustainable learning environment. This project is part of Habitat for Humanity India’s broader commitment to climate action — enabling access to renewable energy for households, communities and educational institutions across the country.  

By integrating clean energy solutions in schools, Habitat India is helping illuminate not just classrooms, but futures — proving that when learning is powered by the sun, every day becomes a little brighter. The generous support from Teleperformance helped us bring this positive change in the lives of more than 700 individuals.  

Initiatives like this go beyond illuminating classrooms - they strengthen the foundation of entire communities, where children can dream bigger and families can thrive. Through every home we build and every sustainable solution we introduce, we move closer to our mission of building homes, communities and hope in society.