Since 2009, IEEE Smart Village (ISV) has focused on creating businesses, or providing financial support to existing businesses, that focus on the generation and productive use of renewable energy and technology in the poorest corners of the world. ISV has funded over 80 enterprises and spent nearly $7M USD, impacting the lives of over 2 million people in 25 countries on 4 continents.

ISV is not a charity as such but an enabler of economic development in the many corners of this world where people are destitute, buried in poverty, with no electricity and nothing more than the minimum needed to just survive. By seeking potential entrepreneurs, mentoring them and seed funding these entrepreneurs that seek to bring economic activity to where it is most needed, economic development not only begins in a small way, but is kick-started. The issue with charity is that technology of all kinds needs maintenance and support, and not having this local support thus leaves good intentions broken and useless.

The world’s need and the current demand is growing for ISV services and funding and ISV needs to grow to meet the current demand. ISV is in the process of changing and codifying the organization structure and communications to better meet this demand with a proven, successful approach and an expanding team of volunteers. Several IEEE Societies which currently fund ISV have appointed liaison representatives and I have been appointed the NPSS Liaison representative to ISV. I, with the other liaison representatives and some of the senior leaders of ISV, are currently in the process of writing a new constitution and bylaws that we expect to have finished this year. This work has involved many virtual meetings already and good progress is being made.

My other task in this job is to feed back information on ISV operations to our Society and this article is my first step to satisfy this. NPSS can be proud to be the home Society of one of the two founders of ISV all those years ago, Ray Larsen. What Ray started, and nursed to its present very significant success, has a glowing future helping those who most need it and providing valuable experience for those IEEE volunteers who roll up their sleeves and get involved.

Please search on “smart village ieee” and see for yourself.

Peter Clout can be reached at [email protected]