Mustika Wijaya

A black-and-white headshot of a woman with long, dark straight hair parted to the side. She wears a dark-colored top with a button at the top. Behind her are three graphic circles: one teal, one dark blue and one white.

Founder & Executive Director, Solar Chapter

INDONESIA

Mustika Wijaya is an engineer who has developed an innovative community-owned solar pump system that seeks to ensure that all Indonesians have access to clean water. Implemented with the knowledge that the responsibility of obtaining clean water disproportionately impacts women and girls in rural areas, Mustika’s efforts have reduced long-term barriers for women’s education and employment. Women and girls in 10 villages no longer have to walk three to five hours a day to gather water. Solar Chapter’s pump technologies allowed them to participate in Solar Chapter’s educational programs, resulting in higher levels of school participation and engagement in health and hygiene practices. Each Solar Chapter intervention is community-led, with members of each village playing an active role in the development, implementation, operation and maintenance of each water system. Solar Chapter has also engaged 160 young adults from around the world to find water solutions and has collaborated with Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning and The World Bank.

Mustika holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and participated in UNICEF’s Young Changemakers initiative.