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Please click here to watch a special Christmas message from one of our entrepreneurs Brave Machonie in Mzuzu, Malawi.
SolarAid would like to thank all the people who have supported us this year.
A class of Year 10 Geography Students from Gad's Hill School in Higham, Kent choose SolarAid to base their project on, whilst studying energy and appropriate technology in developing regions.
They were inspired by SolarAid's simple yet effective concept of tackling climate change and poverty together through the provision of renewable power in some of the poorest communities in the world. They have made a short film to promote the charity's work which you can watch it here:
SolarAid would like to thank AZO Graphics who have kindly provided some free printing, including large coloured posters promoting SolarAid's relationship with KOKO nightclub, which can be seen inside KOKO!
AZO produce all their own printing on recycled materials and do not use solvents or any harmful chemicals in their printing processes. They are winners of the Mayor of London's Green Procurement Award and are in the process of gaining ISO 14001 & 9001 accreditation. For more information, please go to: www.azographics.com
A team of 18 SolarAid volunteers and staff took part in the Santa Run yesterday in Greenwich Park and ran 5K (a lot of which was up hill!) dressed in Santa costumes.
The warm up!
The total amount raised was a very impressive £2,374.15 so well done to all Santa Runners, and thank you from all of us at SolarAid.
Team SolarAid! And as if the Santa Costumes were not hot enough, the team all wore their SolarAid "sunshine is free" t-shirts too.
Laszlo, Miguel and Ruth
SolarAid's team of Santa Runners are all getting ready for a 5K run in Greenwich Park this Sunday - 7th December- to raise money for SolarAid's projects in Africa.
Please support them and help SolarAid by sponsoring one or all of them here:
www.justgiving.com/santa5k
www.justgiving.com/sisterblissandspeedyramirez
www.justgiving.com/ruthmantle
www.justgiving.com/ellierichold
www.justgiving.com/julianelsworth
www.justgiving.com/solarsanta
www.justgiving.com/tomoharasolarsantarun
Thank you!
And if you're interested to see the team in all their glory (they will be dressed in Santa costumes) please do go along to show your support on Sunday at Greenwich Park. The race starts at 11am.
One of the SolarAid's volunteers, Gwyn Roberts, is planning an overland trip from London to Cape Town, to raise money for us. His target is to raise £20,000 and help raise our profile both in the UK and in Africa.
SolarAid volunteer Gwyn Roberts
Gwyn is currently preparing a 1989 Toyota Landcruiser - which has already proved its worth at the festivals we attended earlier this year! The Landcruiser will incorporate Solar PV - with the aim of increasing its MPG (miles per gallon).
Gwyn's 1989 Toyota Landcruiser in the mud at Sunrise Festival in May.
Following in the footsteps of Michael Palin, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman the route of the trip is planned to be; UK, France, Italy, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. Along the route Gwyn and his team will visit some of SolarAid's projects.
Gwyn is looking for people to join him on the trip. He expects to leave in May 2009 - with the trip taking around 9 months. It will be perfectly feasible for people to join him for certain legs of the journey, rather than the whole thing.
Gwyn currently has some commercial supporters but he is looking for some larger sponsorship. If you are interested in helping with this or if you have any ideas or suggestions, please email him on gwyn@overlandinthesun.com
For more information, and if you're interested in sponsoring Gwyn and helping SolarAid continue doing good work, please visit www.overlandinthesun.com
SolarAid Executive Director Nick Sireau presented the organisation's carbon reduction programme to the Carbon Markets Africa conference in Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday 19 November. He explained how the conversion or replacement of kerosene lamps by solar lamps can lead to significant reductions in CO2 emissions once scaled-up.
SolarAid projects in East Africa involve training solar entrepreneurs to build and sell their own solar products. This allows them to generate income for themselves as well as carbon credits through the replacement of kerosene for lighting by solar energy. Indeed, SolarAid's research shows that the average kerosene lamp used by rural households in East Africa produces around one tonne of CO2 over 10 to 14 years.
Nick explained SolarAid's programme to the Carbon Markets Africa programme and invited investors, NGOs and funders to become involved. SolarAid is currently going through the final stages of the Gold Standard process, which strictly assesses the development and environmental benefits of CO2 reduction programmes.
SolarAid has been chosen as a charity partner of iServU, an innovative new website connecting service providers and customers. Through the iServU system, consumers can select and hire only the best-suited local contractor, consultant or other service provider for a job without releasing payment until the work is completed satisfactorily.
iServU is the brainchild of entrepreneur, Gabriel Lopez, who spotted the gap in the market that protected both service providers and contractors from fraud. Gabriel has taken iServU.us from concept to launch in four months. A speed to rival SolarAid's growth!
For all SolarAiders in the USA, check out the site to get one of the limited 75,000 free memberships.
Users of iServU.us can donate directly to SolarAid at www.iservu.us/index.php?charity=solaraid
Within hours of launching the site, SolarAid has received the first donation of $10. The first of many!
SolarAid is thrilled to have launched its first virtual Christmas gift- a solar lantern for those without access to electricity.
This makes a great gift for either those who have everything already, or those who would prefer their present improved the world!
To find out more and to purchase The Gift of Light, please visit our gift page.
We are developing a large programme of activity in Zambia and are seeking a highly qualified and committed Country Business Manager (based in Lusaka) to lead our operations there.
If you are interested in working for SolarAid, and if you are a self-starter with a strong entrepreneurial mindset, please go to our jobs page for more information.