Something that Lonely Planet does not include

It was Saturday night in Iringa. I had Sunday off and was skimming through my Lonely Planet book to see what to do.

Then I got an interesting invitation from Destory, one of the managers from Neema Crafts, a SolarAid partner organization... "Would you like to go to the village market with me to sell solar panels?"

I've heard much about the Tanzanian village markets, where villagers from some of the remote regions of the country would come to buy and sell goods. It was too good of an offer to turn down and I immediately said, "Of course!" without really knowing what I was getting myself into.

The trip to the Madibira village market started at 5am. We had to squeeze into a packed dala-dala (the African minibus) and then jumped into a lorie, an open-backed farm truck. I was a bit surprised when I was asked to jump on the lorie, as I thought that the three hour transfer would involve an air-conditioned bus. But no, the air conditioning comes from the African breeze, and the lorie is a frequently used transport vehicle for merchants where I shared space with used clothing salesman, fruit vendors... and a rooster.

My first lorie ride.

When I arrived in the village market, we set up our solar shop on the busiest part of the market. The villagers were amazed at the accessible power of the sun. It was a joy to watch their eyes widen when they saw a radio play without the use of batteries. Most radios here are run by batteries with cost the villagers money and harm their environment. Sunlight provided a clean and limitless alternative to those batteries.

We sold nearly Tsh260,000 (£140) worth of solar panels that day, at an average of Tsh20,000 each (about £12). Not bad in a country where the average income is only a few pounds a day.

The happy customers told me that there were three reasons why they buy the panel: To provide lighting so their children can study at night, to power their radios and to recharge their mobile phone.

A very happy first-time buyer.

I realised from this experience that a solar system that can do all three is essential in Tanzania, as these villagers can only afford one set of products.

I also realised that the education tool is powerful, as for every person who bought a panel, I know at least four more are trying to save money to buy them, or are waiting to get input from the first set of buyers before buying one for themselves. Thus the market is there and it is hot!

Masai Warriers and I. Iringa.