Changing lives through solar power
Oct 31, 2013
Until May this year, the residents of the remote Kimaanya village, Nazigo County situated 50 kilometers west of Kampala, had been using paraffin to light and heat their homes. They also encountered difficulties charging their phones because the areas was not connected to the main electricity grid.
By Charles Etukuri
Daniel Mumbere,
Teddy Nakanjakko,
Benjamin Ssebaggala
Until May this year, the residents of the remote Kimaanya village, Nazigo County situated 50 kilometers west of Kampala, had been using paraffin to light and heat their homes. They also encountered difficulties charging their phones because the areas was not connected to the main electricity grid.
But their lives changed overnight following the introduction of solar rechargeable lanterns in the area.
Now instead of worrying about where she will get money for paraffin, or safety and health of her children owing to paraffin fumes the area residents now focus more energy on improving their lives.
“It has changed my world,” says Scovia Nabaggala who is the local coordinator Small Solutions a Non Profit making organization that introduced solar lanterns to the area under the Rent to own project.
The introduction of solar power in the village is the result of efforts by the Kayunga District Farmers Association (KADIFA), the Uganda National Farmers Federation and Small Solutions to provide eco-friendly energy access in the area.
The programme rolls off
According to William Turyamuheebwa who is the Activation Manager of Small Solutions, the project was supposed to roll out in nine districts across the country.
“In May this year, we approached KADIFA with a proposal, and we were introduced to Nazigo County where there were organized farmers groups that were also running village banks,” he says.
“Initially we wanted to sell to them outrightly but then we realized that most of them could not afford the outright price,” says Turyamuheebwa.
They then introduced the rent to own concept to the villagers where they were allowed to pay a small amount of 500/- daily for the lamps.
Arriving at the rates
true“We arrived at the rates after meeting the beneficiaries. On average each of the family told us that they would spend shs1500 daily on paraffin and then close to shs1000 a week on charging their phones at the nearby trading center. We then set the price at shs 500 because the villagers could afford, says Turyamuheebwa.
The payment is stretched through out the 12 month period and each of the product has a two year guarantee.
According to Nabaggala, in August many more people who were initially skeptical about the project picked interest when they saw the benefits that were accruing to their neighbours. They then registered 60 more.
Each of the lantern has a unique serial number that is registered to avoid thefts. “Each of the members also marks his name at at the back of his lantern and the panel,” Nabaggala says.
Challenges
The biggest challenge to the resident is shortage of skills in repairing some of the spoilt panels. “In most of the cases we are forced to return them to the coordinator who will in turn give them to the the activation manager who comes once a while to pay the residents a visit.
Safeguarding against defaulters
Nabagala says that since they are organized in groups they are able to safeguard against members who default on payments. “Before we issue out the lanterns, members who are interested make an upfront payments of a nominal amount of money. In the first case they paid shs 3,000 but we revised the figure to shs 10,000.
Benefits
Most of the members who have benefited from the lanterns have since increased their weekly contributions to their savings groups. Some of them have been able to channel the money into other projects like poultry and crop production.
The residents also say that the solar lights are more brighter. “I have a pupil who is a candidate and she is so grateful for the light. Since I started paying for this lamp, she spends more time reading and finishing her school work these days,” says Nabaggala.
Because of the success associated with the village banking system, the group was recently given a solar drier to enable them process the the fruits they are now growing.
“Through these organized groups, we have been able to select a committee to manage the drier and soon we shall start exporting dried fruits,” Nabaggala says.
This article was done as part of a multimedia journalism training by Andrea Marshall of the International Institute of Journalism Berlin-Brandenburg (IIJB).