WHO WE ARE
Our Founding
One Million Birtu (OMB) was established in July 2025, born from a profound recognition of Ethiopia&Apos;s persistent energy access gap and the untapped potential of distributed renewable energy (DRE) to transform lives.
The founders saw that in rural and peri-urban areas, the lack of reliable, clean power was more than an inconvenience—it was a fundamental barrier to health, education, agricultural productivity, and economic growth.
The organization&Apos;s name reflects its foundational ambition: to reach one million Ethiopians with solutions that do more than power lights; they power opportunity, dignity, and progress. OMB was created to respond directly to this need and to contribute to building a resilient, energy-secure nation.
From the beginning, our work has been aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 7 and Ethiopia&Apos;s National Electrification Program, taking a holistic approach that combines technology deployment, financing facilitation, capacity building, and knowledge sharing to ensure solutions are adopted sustainably for long-term impact.
The founders saw that in rural and peri-urban areas, the lack of reliable, clean power was more than an inconvenience—it was a fundamental barrier to health, education, agricultural productivity, and economic growth.
The organization&Apos;s name reflects its foundational ambition: to reach one million Ethiopians with solutions that do more than power lights; they power opportunity, dignity, and progress. OMB was created to respond directly to this need and to contribute to building a resilient, energy-secure nation.
From the beginning, our work has been aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 7 and Ethiopia&Apos;s National Electrification Program, taking a holistic approach that combines technology deployment, financing facilitation, capacity building, and knowledge sharing to ensure solutions are adopted sustainably for long-term impact.
Our Whys
Our "why" is rooted in the stories of the people we serve. It's in the voice of a mother like Mrs. Kechine, who lost her baby traveling hours in the dark to find a powered clinic, reminding us that energy poverty costs lives.
It's in the struggle of Mr. Engida, a poultry farmer who loses hundreds of chickens yearly because he has no light, showing how energy insecurity decimates livelihoods. It's in the dilemma of Mrs. Workie, a shop owner who must close early and watch her milk spoil, illustrating how unreliable power stifles small businesses and family income.
These are not isolated cases; they are symptoms of a systemic gap. We exist because over 70% of Ethiopia's rural population depends on agriculture yet lacks energy for irrigation or processing. We exist because MSMEs, the economy's backbone, are crippled by expensive diesel and financing hurdles. We exist because rural health facilities cannot store vaccines or power life-saving equipment.
Our "why" is the conviction that clean, reliable energy can rewrite these stories—turning fear into safety, loss into productivity, and struggle into prosperity. Every program we design, every partnership we form, is driven by the mission to turn these urgent human needs into tangible, lasting solutions.
It's in the struggle of Mr. Engida, a poultry farmer who loses hundreds of chickens yearly because he has no light, showing how energy insecurity decimates livelihoods. It's in the dilemma of Mrs. Workie, a shop owner who must close early and watch her milk spoil, illustrating how unreliable power stifles small businesses and family income.
These are not isolated cases; they are symptoms of a systemic gap. We exist because over 70% of Ethiopia's rural population depends on agriculture yet lacks energy for irrigation or processing. We exist because MSMEs, the economy's backbone, are crippled by expensive diesel and financing hurdles. We exist because rural health facilities cannot store vaccines or power life-saving equipment.
Our "why" is the conviction that clean, reliable energy can rewrite these stories—turning fear into safety, loss into productivity, and struggle into prosperity. Every program we design, every partnership we form, is driven by the mission to turn these urgent human needs into tangible, lasting solutions.
