Early in his career, Montana Busch, Founder and CEO of AES, knew that he wanted to make charitable contributions a regular part of his business plan.

His first major project to fulfill that promise was 6000 miles from home in the town of Eku.  Eku is a town in the Delta region of Nigeria.

The Shepherd Care Orphanage and Widow Center struggled to meet the needs of hundreds of widows and orphans at their live-in facility and school.  One of their biggest problems was the lack of reliable electrical power.

"Lives are changed drastically by having something as simple as electric refrigeration,” said Montana.  “Most people don't realize how many ways electricity makes life easier for us. Imagine your life without it."

With the help of funds raised by New Covenant Worship Center of Athens, Alternative Energy Southeast was able to provide a 16-kW solar power system with 144 kWh of battery storage.

“Once we saw how happy and truly grateful the orphans and old widowed grandmothers were, we really felt a sense of satisfaction,” Busch said. “We gave these people power in a part of the world where the power only comes on for a few hours each day, if at all. The academy on site now has access to the internet. It really allows the children to have a shot at a modern life.”