AMORE: Bringing Light and Hope to Mindanao

Vision:
At least 400 poor, remote, conflict-affected communities in Mindanao sustainably energized with renewable energy systems and enabled to expand their development

The island of Mindanao has more than a third of the landmass of the Philippines and is home to one-fourth of the country’s population, including a significant Muslim minority. Although the quality of life of the people of Mindanao has historically been well below national levels, the island clearly has potential for substantial and accelerated economic growth.

The Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) Program is a partnership of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Mirant Philippines Foundation, Inc., the Department of Energy, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Winrock International that is helping promote peace and progress in Mindanao by sustainable energizing poor, remote, conflict-affected communities that cannot be connected to the power grid, with clean, indigenous, reliable and affordable stand-alone renewable energy systems such as solar and microhydro.

AMORE, which has been energizing communities since 2002, is developing a sustainable approach to rural electrification hinged on organizing communities for self-propelled development. While electricity is its entry point, it realizes that its work cannot end with installing the renewable energy systems. Even before it installs the systems, it organizes its community partners into Barangay Renewable Energy and Community Development Associations (BRECDAs) and trains them not only to operate and maintain their renewable energy systems but also to pursue other development projects for their communities.