Giving women access to energy is important, but women must also acquire the skills needed to maximize the potential income and other opportunities from new energy supplies. By improving the operational efficiency of electricity distribution in this rural area, an estimated 20,000 people were able to save time spent on household chores and raising children, and became more aware about efficient use of electricity and energy conservation. The women were also trained to learn how to run their micro-enterprises. There is no better way to describe the impact of the technical assistance than through the voices of the women who benefited from the program. And it has a ripple effect. Mala, one of the beneficiaries, received community recognition and respect for her thriving business of assembling and repairing compact fluorescent lamps. In a part of India where many women are usually known not by their own names but as ‘the wife of’ so and so ...  — Blogs.adb.org/blog