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The PVSYST Foundation
is a non-profit Swiss foundation which was established in 2015 and is based in Satigny, Geneva, Switzerland, with the focus of work in developing countries
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The PVSYST Foundation intends at
Establishing the conditions for sustainable development and strengthen the resilience and self-help capacity of local communities in developing countries
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The PVSYST Foundation's will
Working with individuals, associations, companies and communities who through their actions intend to improve the situation of local populations
Innovating and facilitating a sustainable access to important basic services in developing countries
Promoting a sustainable development in developing and middle income countries with a focus on the use of renewable energy
Improving access to technical training and building capacities at local level
Partnering with the PVSYST foundation :
The foundation aims at supporting projects by working closely with all stakeholders and taking their proposals into account. Different than a classical donor, the foundation wants to establish a more operational relationship with the implementation partners, without taking over their role.
The Foundation pays particular attention to the technical quality of the projects and can provide occasional support or technical follow-up in different ways:
- either through the involvement of professionals from the PVsyst company, which is at the forefront of the renewable energy sector, particularly in solar / photovoltaic applications
- or assisting with the identification and funding of external expertise
The Foundation provides a financial support to the selected projects, and particularly
- Technical assistance, on a specific theme or area of intervention (support for the structuring of companies, setting up training courses)
- Providing investment assistance, such as purchasing equipment and/or infrastructure to support operational partners, in addition to or in conjunction with technical support
- Support to essential functions and resources (operational, support) needed for the implementation
- Support for the identification of alternative funding sources and future partnerships to foster the overall sustainability
The PVSYST Foundation is convinced that time is a key factor enhancing the impact and the sustainability of the supported projects. Therefore the Foundation is willing to provide sufficient time for its partnerships. Funding cycles encompass normally two years and may be renewed depending on
- The quality of the implementation, as assessed by the evaluation of the previous phase
- The needs assessments
- The long-term exit strategy
- Any other relevant factor fostering the sustainability
The different components of the PVSYST Foundation's partnership approach aim at creating conditions allowing the continuity of project’s after the implementation phase. According to us, this ambition would be materialised by in our current projects by :
- Accessing to employment or creating employment opportunities for the participants of the training courses
- Structuring of markets for entrepreneurs in renewable energy projects
- Sustaining funding mechanisms accessible to most vulnerable households
- Developing technicians /craftsmen’s technical skills
The PVSYST Foundation’s mindset is to support the conditions for local and localised development:
- Local, by promoting or strengthening mechanisms based on the specific needs and resources of the intervention areas
- Localized through the cooperation with roots-based organizations (NGOs, foundations, companies, project’s participants, civil services, etc.)