Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In Sierra Leone, every second counts for a new born baby. At Bo Government Hospital, a team of local nurses and doctors led by a determined Irish doctor built something extraordinary: a neonatal unit offering world-class care in one of the toughest environments on earth.
But even with all the skill, compassion and dedication in the world, there was one thing they couldn’t control, electricity. Without it, incubators go cold, oxygen machines stop, and the light needed to save lives disappears.
Then came a group of unlikely allies, led by clean energy entrepreneur Michael Liebreich, who stepped in with a simple but transformative solution: solar power.
This film follows Michael’s first visit to the hospital since the solar system was installed. It’s a story of innovation, resilience and how the right support, at the right time, can light up more than just a hospital, it can change the future.
Help Support Project Bo:
• More About Project Bo: projectbo.org
• Our Campaign to Raise $100,000: gofundme.com/f/projectbo
Organisations Electrifying Healthcare:
• Eki Foundation fundacioneki.org/en
• Don Bosco Solar School: donboscosolar.org
• Powering Healthcare Hub (Sustainable Energy for All): • seforall.org/programmes/powering-healthcare-hub
• We Care Solar: wecaresolar.org
• Resilient Power | Power for Health: directrelief.org/issue/resilient-power
• Kids Operating Room: kidsor.org
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Credits:
• Presented by Michael Liebreich
• Written by Oscar Boyd & Michael Liebreich
• Filmed, Produced & Edited by Oscar Boyd
• Graphics by Jamie Oliver
• Logistics: Jo Jagger
• Special thanks to Dr Niall Conroy, Nurse Juliana Conteh, Nurse Columbia Samuella Bull, Mohammed Kargbo, as well as to the team at Bo Government Hospital, and the mothers who spoke with us for this documentary.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
02:48 - Neonatal Care in Sierra Leone
06:36 - Inside The Neonatal Unit
08:35 - The Electricity Problem
11:55 - The Tweet That Changed Everything
15:30 - The Solar & Battery System
19:55 - Is Solar Better Than Diesel?
24:00 - Meeting the Mothers
27:00 - The Impact of Reliable Electricity
30:40 - The Mothers Dormitory
33:15 - Support Project Bo
In Sierra Leone, every second counts for a new born baby. At Bo Government Hospital, a team of local nurses and doctors led by a determined Irish doctor built something extraordinary: a neonatal unit offering world-class care in one of the toughest environments on earth.
But even with all the skill, compassion and dedication in the world, there was one thing they couldn’t control, electricity. Without it, incubators go cold, oxygen machines stop, and the light needed to save lives disappears.
Then came a group of unlikely allies, led by clean energy entrepreneur Michael Liebreich, who stepped in with a simple but transformative solution: solar power.
This film follows Michael’s first visit to the hospital since the solar system was installed. It’s a story of innovation, resilience and how the right support, at the right time, can light up more than just a hospital, it can change the future.
Help Support Project Bo:
• More About Project Bo: projectbo.org
• Our Campaign to Raise $100,000: gofundme.com/f/projectbo
Organisations Electrifying Healthcare:
• Eki Foundation fundacioneki.org/en
• Don Bosco Solar School: donboscosolar.org
• Powering Healthcare Hub (Sustainable Energy for All): • seforall.org/programmes/powering-healthcare-hub
• We Care Solar: wecaresolar.org
• Resilient Power | Power for Health: directrelief.org/issue/resilient-power
• Kids Operating Room: kidsor.org
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Credits:
• Presented by Michael Liebreich
• Written by Oscar Boyd & Michael Liebreich
• Filmed, Produced & Edited by Oscar Boyd
• Graphics by Jamie Oliver
• Logistics: Jo Jagger
• Special thanks to Dr Niall Conroy, Nurse Juliana Conteh, Nurse Columbia Samuella Bull, Mohammed Kargbo, as well as to the team at Bo Government Hospital, and the mothers who spoke with us for this documentary.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
02:48 - Neonatal Care in Sierra Leone
06:36 - Inside The Neonatal Unit
08:35 - The Electricity Problem
11:55 - The Tweet That Changed Everything
15:30 - The Solar & Battery System
19:55 - Is Solar Better Than Diesel?
24:00 - Meeting the Mothers
27:00 - The Impact of Reliable Electricity
30:40 - The Mothers Dormitory
33:15 - Support Project Bo
