ProjectBo: Reliable Solar Power & Ongoing Care for Bo's NICU

"Three of our oxygen-dependent babies died last night when the power went off. Not good enough in 2017. Low-cost tech e.g. affordable solar power must be a priority for saving newborn lives"

Niall Conroy 'X' @NICU_doc_salone, 20 Nov 2017

In 2017, the above single tweet highlighted the devastating consequences of power failures in the neonatal unit of Sierra Leone’s Bo General Hospital. It was the catalyst for ProjectBo, which has since installed and maintained a 20kW solar and battery system, subject of the April 2025 Cleaning Up documentary, Saving Babies Lives with Solar Power.

This system ensures a constant power supply for critical equipment like oxygen concentrators, baby warmers and lighting, and has been proven to help the medical staff save hundreds of lives each year.

The neonatal unit now has reliable power 98% of the time. However, the system still suffers from around two power cuts per month. We need to add more batteries and solar panels. We need to see if we can split the system and create redundancy and resilience. We need to improve physical security. We need to plan for increased demand, as more babies are being admitted to the unit as its reputation grows. And we need to improve the facilities for nurses, breast feeding mothers and babies. The unit is incredibly cramped today, and it does not have running water.

We are looking to create a fund for all this totalling £80,000 ($100,000 USD). Of this, we have already raised £34,000, leaving another £46,000 to raise.

No amount is too small, and we thank you in advance for your support. We can only maintain and expand our support for ProjectBo through the generosity of new and existing donors.

Visit https://www.projectbo.org/ to read the full story from the project's conception in 2017 to Michael’s first ever visit this year to see how the system is working and to plan next steps.

ProjectBo is supported and administered by the Liebreich Foundation, a registered charity in the UK.