From Passion to Podium in the Climate Challenge 2025
Written by Sally Musonye and Kamalha Jockim
AshGold Africa Initiative: Lighting the Path through Solar
AshGold Africa initiative is a social venture that bridges energy poverty and educational inequity in rural Kenya. Since its inception in 2015, the initiative has transformed from a passion project into a community-anchored impact venture. Through school mentorship programs and community empowerment projects under the “MPowered for Access” banner, we are aligned with SDG 4 (Quality Education), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 13 (Climate Action).
The programmes under the initiative have created green jobs by training 20 solar technicians, mentored more than 11,000 students and educators in 13 schools in Kenya, and displaced over 3 tons of CO2 by completing 2 school solar installations (3.88 kW). By replacing fossil fuels, each installation is a beacon to climate resilience and education access for lasting impact across underserved communities.
A meeting of chance or purpose?
The initiative’s overwhelming desire for change needed a boost in its shared purpose: a stronger team, concerted efforts, and a clarity of vision. In January, during the Social Venture Residential programme by the King’s E-Lab, which continued into the Cambridge Zero Climate Challenge, two scholars met: Sally, a Commonwealth scholar, and Kamalha, a Mastercard Foundation scholar. Far from chance, but shared passion for community transformation, was the onset of purposeful collaboration.
Our experience in the green challenge
We will fondly remember the 2025 Climate Challenge, not just because we emerged as runners-up in the final pitch showcase but because the whole experience has fuelled our drive as agents of change. The podium finish really encouraged our passion and intellectual dedication to social entrepreneurship. Reflecting on the alignment of each session to our guiding star, our vision of hope was now a possibility.
During the Climate Challenge’s five-week training, we brainstormed scalable models to bridge research and education, identified on-the-ground actions that empower professionals and communities, and focused on how to co-create solutions for accelerating climate resilience and adaptation. A new community of innovators and mentors came to the fore. The programme has helped us refine our team and put this passion into practice for a potentially lasting solution. The different trainers’ approaches to the comprehensive social entrepreneurship landscape resounded through the sessions on climate entrepreneurship, voluntary carbon markets, effective storytelling, and investments and funding.
Overcoming obstacles
Though fulfilling, the events culminating in the pitch were challenging for us. Days filled with overwhelm and uncertainty over our business model and clarity of vision almost clouded our drive. Our determination and purpose were tested with every approaching deadline.
At times, the flames seemed to flicker low, weary and fragile. Yet we refused to let them extinguish. Fed not by fuel (we are eco-friendly after all!) but by our fierce will and unyielding desire for change. Nights of intense research, practice sessions and peer feedback from friends and the Cambridge community kept our ambers of defiance burning. Our resilience deepened as we pressed on.
Moments of Introspection
We appreciate the personal growth we have experienced during the Climate Challenge. From the pitch to the podium, we sharpened our communication skills, clarified our mission, and opened ourselves to more collaboration opportunities. The judges’ feedback revealed new horizons in the venture's growth direction. We are refining the immense opportunities, comments, and collaborations we hope to achieve. We entered the challenge as a social passion project and emerged as a budding social enterprise, a testament to the invaluable lessons.
To us, the journey to climate entrepreneurship has just begun. The path behind us is lined with lessons, quiet triumphs and progress; beyond the horizon lies a future of promise and possibility; Daring us to dream bigger for a just and sustainable world.
Sally Musonye and Kamalha Jockim
Sally
Eng. Sally L. Musonye is an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development student at the University of Cambridge, a Commonwealth Masters Scholar and a member of Newnham College. She is the founder of AshGold Africa Initiative and has 10 years of experience in Kenya’s energy sector. Her research focuses on redefining energy access through sustainable implementation of electrification projects in underserved communities.
Kamalha
Kamalha Jockim Kyuma is pursuing an MPhil in Digital Humanities at Churchill College. His research focuses on leveraging digital technologies for social innovations that promote climate justice and environmental advocacy in Africa. He is a passionate advocate of sustainable technology and hopes to gain skills in building digital tools and research methods to enable him to contribute to the climate justice sector.