Solar power revitalises a Kurdish Village through Rwanga Foundation’s investment and philanthropy in line with Gulf Energy Trends

In the hills of the Balisan Valley, a village once associated with profound tragedy is now becoming a symbol of how targeted renewable-energy investment can reshape rural economies. Sheikh Wasan, long marked by the devastation it suffered in the late 1980s, has undergone a striking transformation as it shifts toward full energy independence through a community-driven solar project led by the Rwanga Foundation and its founder, Idris Nechirvan Barzani.

Today, the village’s identity is no longer defined solely by its past. Instead, it is increasingly recognised for its resilience and economic renewal. Seventy-two individual solar systems, incorporating 432 high-efficiency panels, now power every household, the local school, the health clinic, the mosque, and the Martyrs’ Hall. For the village’s 281 residents, who for decades relied on expensive diesel generators and intermittent electricity from the national grid, the arrival of round-the-clock power represents a fundamental shift in daily life and economic potential.

Barzani, a young businessman and philanthropist, sees Sheikh Wasan not just as a humanitarian commitment but as an investment with measurable development impact. He notes that providing sustainable energy to remote communities is essential to unlocking economic activity, enabling households to redirect the money once spent on diesel toward farming, livestock, small trade and other income-generating pursuits.

Families are now able to refrigerate produce throughout the year, reducing waste and stabilising household earnings. Children can study safely in the evenings, while adults can extend productive hours during winter. New technical roles have also emerged for local youth trained to monitor and maintain the solar systems, keeping the project community-owned and creating new livelihood opportunities.

The transformation of Sheikh Wasan reflects a wider trend in the Kurdistan Region, where renewable energy is moving from a policy aspiration to practical implementation. Since 2013, the Rwanga Foundation has delivered a wide range of projects supporting education, health and livelihoods across the region.

However, its growing emphasis on sustainable energy reflects a recognition that reliable power is the cornerstone of long-term economic resilience. By replacing diesel dependency with clean, predictable solar energy, villages like Sheikh Wasan are gaining the stability needed to expand small businesses, improve agricultural output and enhance overall quality of life.

Residents who endured the darkest years of the late 1980s see the solar initiative as a meaningful step toward renewal. One survivor, who asked not to be named, said that after losing entire families decades ago, the ability to light homes, power classrooms and store crops feels like a form of justice expressed through development rather than rhetoric. Their sense of dignity, they explained, comes not only from the technology itself but from the fact that the investment was driven by local philanthropic capital rather than distant international programmes.

Humanitarian organisations have often urged greater global support for communities affected by the Anfal period, yet the Sheikh Wasan project demonstrates how local initiatives can fill gaps left by slow or inconsistent international engagement.

The fact that this solar grid was financed entirely by private Kurdish donors highlights a growing confidence within the region to take charge of its own development trajectory, using modern technology to heal long-standing wounds and spur economic growth.