Project: Lighting Malawian homes

John Nyirenda's story is a shining example of how your donations make an enormous difference in people's livelihoods; improving their quality of life, saving them precious income which they can use to feed their families. Your support also gives people like John the opportunity to educate and develop themselves economically.

John was one of the first people in Nkhata Bay that bought SolarAid's microsolar light bulbs."I like this design of the Muuni light bulb because it gives enough light. It is very bright. I have never bought paraffin in this house since I started using it. It's very reliable and has helped me save a lot of money on paraffin" he commented on his purchase.

John Nyirenda with a micro solar panel

Recently John became one of our most senior (in age) solar entrepreneurs to join the Kayuzi Micro Solar Business Group. He is in his late sixties. John faced doubt and was challenged by some more youthful trainees due to his age. However, a year on he has out-performed them all, thanks to his determination and ingenuity.

The money John saves from using SolarAid's products in his home and the income from his microsolar business has enabled him to look after his large extended family of twelve, most of whom shell maize for a living. "By helping me set up this microsolar business, SolarAid has directly assisted many people who look up to me for financial and material support" says John.

John Nyirenda and his family

To help more people improve their lives like John, please donate today.

Hello from Malawi!

News here is that we recently ran a focus group with one of our trainee groups from the Chinyolo Youth Club. We wanted to evaluate the success of our micro-solar training programmes and to get feedback from the participants.

The meeting was run by an independent moderator to ensure objectivity.

The focus group we held with Chinyolo Youth Club

A number of interesting findings came out of the meeting...

• The feedback was excellent. Many felt they were now "changed people" due to their new skills and the opportunities that came with them. They boasted that not a single customer has ever returned a product to them due to quality problems!
• Feedback from other groups showed that they too hoped for regular refresher training sessions in marketing and book-keeping.
• One of the difficulties highlighted was that of setting up a business apart from a group, as an individual. This is due to the lack of sufficient capital.
• The biggest sellers are the lightbulbs, followed by the mobile chargers which are often used by their owners for phone-charging businesses in their areas.

Trainees join the scheme in the hope of acquiring new knowledge and skills to develop business opportunities and increase their incomes. Please support our work in helping the trainees to achieve this goal.

Thank you.

More updates from Malawi soon,
Fiskani

The SolarAid team in Malawi will have one man less after the departure of one of the volunteers, Carl van Zand, who has been re-deployed to Argentina to help establish another micro-solar project.

Carl came to Malawi in February 2008 and he almost made it his home due to the warm and cordial relationship he enjoyed with the warm-hearted people of Malawi.

Carl and I in Mzuzu, Malawi

Carl made numerous friends and was much loved by the people in the villages where he frequently went to train local groups in micro-solar assembling and marketing.

Because of his humility and understanding of the African cultures, he had no problem mixing with local people. He respected the people around him and was also eager to learn one or two things from them. No wonder then, when it was announced that he is leaving the country, many people became disappointed. But when a farewell get-together, representatives of our partner groups saluted him for his wonderful work and wished him well in Argentina.

Carl has been a strong pillar of the Malawian project. Without pretence, his departure is regrettable but we take solace in the fact that the local people have absorbed his technical knowledge and are able to apply it practically. For Carl, leaving the Malawi project at this stage is like a dad leaving his baby when it has just started crawling. He came, he worked and he delivered. I hope that one day he will have a chance to come to Malawi again to see the fruits of his contribution. We will miss him very much and we wish him all the best in Argentina.

Earlier this week, I started telling the story of Edess Mhoni. The end is a happy one, thanks to SolarAid.

After receiving a loan, Edess started a business selling dried fish, beans, kerosene and eggs. She would order some of her merchandise- like paraffin- from Mzuzu, a return trip costing K1400 (about £7). This business was not reliable because the supply of paraffin is not guaranteed.

"Sometimes I'd go to Mzuzu to find that the suppliers had run out paraffin. It is frustrating because you end up buying from vendors at an exorbitant price. I, in turn, increased my selling price back home to maintain profit levels which results into the customer paying more and very few of them can afford to buy. It's no longer a lucrative business".

Micro-solar training helps carve the way
When Edess heard that SolarAid would be training entrepreneurs in the area in micro-solar business, she did not hesitate to express her interest to join the bandwagon of micro-solar business trainees.

Edess saw a big opportunity to diversify her business.

"When I saw the micro-solar products, I was convinced that my life would change for the better once I start selling them. The coming of SolarAid in our area is a huge blessing to us. No organisation has ever offered such an opportunity to vulnerable women like me before. I cannot let such an opportunity slip through my fingers".

Increased income, better quality of life
Edess now hopes that the micro-solar business will boost her income levels thereby helping her to buy the much-needed food supplements that will keep her healthy and strong as she continues taking her anti-retrovirals.
"Without doubt, my business will pick up with these micro-solar products that SolarAid will supply to our group. This has just come at the right time when a lot of people need light at night to process their tobacco in readiness for the market. Tobacco farming is very common here. They will provide a ready market for the products. Besides, the solar light will help my own children as well to study at night and do well in school".

Edess is not the only woman in need of this assistance to stand on their own. There are several of them out there. You and I can make the difference by extending our helping hand. Please donate whatever you can afford, so that someone somewhere is assisted just like Edess.

During a micro-solar business training session with the Women Business Groups last week, I met Edess Mhoni, a courageous woman who narrated to me the moving story of her life.

Fiskani Msutu (left) chats with Edess Mhoni

Edess is 40 years old and has four children. She comes from Magoda village near Elangeni in Mtwalo region. Her husband passed away a couple of years ago. She revealed that he died of AIDS related diseases. After her husband's death, she decided to go for voluntary counselling and testing. Edess tested HIV positive. She did not feel ashamed to reveal her HIV status to the public.

"I knew this was not the end of the world so I had to accept the reality and carry on. It would have been a waste of time sympathising with myself instead of planning to do something to help myself and my children".

Determined attitude
This positive attitude is unusual considering the stigma associated with such issues and the society's negative perception of HIV-positive people.

The relatives of Edess's late husband were angry and accused her of promiscuity that led to her contracting the virus, and accused her of killing her husband.

"They said many bad things against me. I could not defend myself. God knows the whole truth. I was cruelly chased from the village and nobody wanted to associate with me anymore. Life became really tough as I had to take care of my four children alone.

I had no choice but to go back to my father's village and settle there. They welcomed me and I have since built my house there in which I live with my children".

Over the past years Edess has been sickly and could not fend for herself or her children. Luckily, she started taking anti-retrovirals and now she feels much better.

A new start
"Since I started taking anti-retrovirals, I feel much stronger and have resumed doing my normal household chores as before. I was told that I should be eating a balanced diet but have problems finding money to buy necessary food supplements

I thought of starting up a small-scale business but had no capital. Luckily, I got accepted to join a women's business group in my village set up by Micro Loan Foundation and managed to get a small loan to start my business".

Read more of Edess's story in my next blog, later this week.
Fiskani

In a dramatic twist of events, things are taking a different path at Ungweru.

Ungweru is a community-based youth organisation. It has a broad range of activities under its umbrella including education, agriculture and environmental issues. The total number of registered members of the organisation is over 50. Some members just come to read at the library while some come to learn computer skills.

When the micro-solar business opportunity was dangled in front of them, some enthusiastic members quickly requested training and have proved to be very hard-working.

Since the first training session back in April last year, the group has evolved into a Micro-solar Assembling and Sales Business Group and has since linked up with money-lending institutions like Finance Cooperative (FINCOOP) for access to business loans.

Most of the members are school-aged children. This makes daily participation in project activities limited as they have to attend classes during the day. Others are school leavers who are full-time. The varying degrees of participation has meant some people are more serious about it, while others have become casual.

Some dedicated members have therefore decided to breakout from the main group and set up their own independent solar group. They have also agreed to open and manage their own assembling shop away from Ungweru, in Luwinga.

Some members of Ungweru, discussing setting up an independent micro-solar business

They have opened a bank account with FINCOOP where sales profits will be deposited. In return, FINCOOP will give them business loans.

Some young ladies are hesitant to join the group apparently, as they reckon the proposed contribution fee is way beyond their means. There is however a proposal that whoever cannot afford to become a shareholder in the business will be offered the chance to become an employee responsible for assembling and selling of solar products.

The revolution has just begun. Or is it the evolution? Any more room for participant within the group? Let us wait and see.

The site at Luwinga market that will be renovated to become a micro-solar shop and assembling centre.

SolarAid Malawi's projects have recently been the focus of a short film made by The 100 People Foundation as part of its '100 People Under The Sun' project.

The foundation is a not-for-profit organisation producing films to educate, entertain and inspire audiences to learn more about world geography, culture and our shared resources.

Watch the film here:

If you have felt inspired by SolarAid's impact in Malawi, please help us to have a greater impact still, to reach more people with clean power and give them the means to generate an income for themselves and their families. Please support us today.

Thank you

Alfred is a satisfied user of the Kadzuwa 18 microsolar panel! He is a small-scale business entrepreneur and owns a shop where he sells assorted groceries. He is one of the pioneer users of SolarAid's microsolar products.

I recently chatted with him at his home, to find out about his experiences of the product so far.

Alfred Kalua at his home in Luwinga

Alfred has been using the solar panel since May 2008 and claims that since then, he has not once used batteries for his radio. Previously, Alfred was using another solar panel for playing his radio and lighting his house. This panel frequently 'malfunctioned' because it was not expertly installed and maintenance was very expensive. In the end he had no choice but to abandon it completely.

Having been a solar addict for sometime (before his previous gadget malfunctioned) Alfred felt embarrassed when queuing for paraffin in town and using his radio became an occasional occurrence, for fear of spending more money on single use batteries. Luckily for Alfred, he came across a very affordable solar product which is so simple yet can perform multiple functions... lighting his home, powering his radio and charging his mobile phone. Without hesitation, he bought one instantly.

Using the Kadzuwa 18 microsolar panel has significantly improved life in Alfred's family. He is saving money by no longer having to buy batteries and kerosene. The money he saves is used to buy food for his children as well as other important things.

The extra food ensures that his children never go hungry. Children who eat well become healthy. It is no wonder then that Alfred could not remember the last time he had to take any of his children to hospital. They are now healthy and happy children.

More savings have also helped Alfred to reinvest his profits into his business. He now supports his brother who works as the shopkeeper.

Alfred's brother holds the microsolar panel, at Alfred's shop

The solar light helps his wife to prepare dough and bake scones at night for sale at his shop and Alfred can now read after dark! He also says that with the solar light in his house, his children are now safe from possible burns due to candles or dangerous kerosene lamps.

SolarAid's Kadzuwa 18 solar light bulb hangs in Alfred's house

With all these savings, Alfred has become more ambitious. He now intends to buy a bigger solar system so he can have more electronic appliances in both his shop and his home. There is little doubt that he will fulfil his ambition one day.

Why not help us to realise dreams and ambitions like those of Alfred? Please support us today.

Following on from my last blog...the MLF gives loans to women groups only. At Elangeni (approx 80km west of Mzuzu) there are five women credit groups affiliated to MLF and each one has a chairperson, treasurer, and secretary.

Chagaga Women's Credit Group

All loan applicants are vetted by the chief and any defaulter attracts the wrath of the chief. MLF then asks what type of business each will undertake and how many dependants they support in their respective families.

Some of the popular small-scale businesses are baking scones, selling dried fish, tomatoes, second-hand clothes, paraffin, beans, vegetables, etc. This is where SolarAid gets involved. Individual members will be given a choice to add micro-solar business to what they already do. So instead of concentrating on the above businesses (which are mostly affected by the seasonality of the products) they will also be selling solar products. SolarAid will link them with its various assembling groups for orders and MLF will take charge of repayments as usual.

This means that the credit groups will receive the loans from MLF as normal, and they will order solar products from SolarAid just like they order paraffin, beans, fish etc for sale from other suppliers.

At the meeting, over 50 women (some accompanied by their husbands) turned up to hear what SolarAid had in store for them.

Richard Mwazambumba, a MLF loan officer, introduced the SolarAid team (Brave and myself) who then addressed the people about SolarAid's objectives and about why we have decided to work with people in their community in collaboration with MLF. The attendees got the chance to see small solar panel (Kadzuwa 18 Moc) powering a radio, lighting three bulbs and charging a mobile phone.

Some of the men complained that they were sidelined from this opportunity, since MLF only works with women groups and they asked if SolarAid would allow them to join the micro-solar business when it rolls out.

The overall feeling was that people need our products as soon as possible. Some even offered to buy on the spot the sample products we used for demonstration. The market is certainly there!

Bye for now,
Fiskani

A few weeks ago, the SolarAid Malawi team went to Elangeni on a fact-finding mission, in collaboration with The MicroLoan Foundation (MLF).

MLF was founded in 2002 and is a registered NGO that deals mainly with micro-financing of small businesses for poor women in both rural and urban areas.

MLF's objective is to assist poor women bring themselves out of the poverty trap, similar to SolarAid's own objectives. As a result of this synergy, the two organisations have decided to team up to achieve the following specific objectives:

1. Help women and their communities (particularly those in rural areas) to gain access to affordable renewable power for household use.
2. Help women who run small-scale businesses to expand and diversify by selling solar products made by SolarAid.
3. Help increase self-employment by training women in the production and selling of solar products.

MLF identifies these women groups and gives them business training and basic book-keeping skills before disbursing the first loan.

MLF Loan officer (far left) and Chief Inkosana (in suit) with Chagaga Women's Group in Elangeni.

The recent site visit enabled both parties to appreciate what is on the ground, so each knows exactly the role they need to play to uplift the lives of the poor villagers seeking to become business entrepreneurs.

More about this exciting partnership in my next blog,

Fiskani.