Luhunga Secondary School.

While evaluating potential schools for macrosolar installations, I pay attention to whether the school has the management commitment and business acumen to generate income which will maintain the solar system for many years to come.

Solar systems cost money to maintain and SolarAid anticipates that in addition to donating panels to schools in need, the organisation also needs to empower the schools to generate sufficient funds to maintain the system. Hence, questions on business plans and income generating ideas become standard questions in our evaluation.

The library at Luhunga that will be light through solar power.

The Headmaster at Luhunga showed minimal hesitation in seeing the economic benefit for solar. He readily agreed to a co-payment of 10% and was confident that he could easily raise these funds in a short period of time.

As I worked with him on income-generating estimates, I realised that a sizeable market exists for technologies that could harness the energy of the sun. In mobile phone charging alone, the market could reach about £5,000 per month for a village with approximately 3000 "working" adults.

The teacher also estimated a sizeable market exists for the charging of large batteries. Currently, the villagers pay 1000 Tsh (about 60p) per charge and have to take their batteries to an in-town charging facility about 1.5 hours away by car.

The Headmaster of Luhunga Secondary School with the kerosene lanterns he hopes to rid with the installation of solar panels.

But the easiest form of income generation is simply the replacement of money used to buy kerosene. Currently, Luhunga Secondary School uses kerosene for evening classes and charges each student 1000 Tsh per month on kerosene supply alone which means the school could save a total 450,000 Tsh (£230) per month by switching to solar.

More from me soon,
Irna

Kisiwa Secondary School

This is Kisiwa Secondary School. There are several factors to evaluate before placing a solar system here. The school is remote which means that it has little chance of being connected to the grid in the near future. The lack of connection in the surrounding villages means there is high potential for earning income from electricity, the money of which can be invested in the maintenance of the system.

However, one downside is that the school itself is located some distance (about 500 metres) from the village, and considering the high snake population in the area (as I was told after traipsing through the ground in my flip flops) it is not placed conveniently for the community's use in the evening, therefore reducing the impact of the solar system on community members.

But then another benefit of selecting this school for macrosolar is that two girls' dormitories have recently been completed on the site. As secondary schools are few and far between in this region, girls are often required to travel long distances to school each day, sometimes in the dark. These dormitories will vastly reduce travel time, increase safety, and if SolarAid gets involved, will enable them to study in their dormitories at night!

As you can see, there are several factors to consider. This school is currently undergoing the application process.

SolarAid's vehicle, with some appropriate artwork on the tyre cover!

Finally, can you recognise the tyre cover in the picture above, from the SolarAid website? This was painted by one of the local Tinga Tinga artists outside of the Dar Es Salaam office!

More from me soon,
Courtney

Mason and I going through the SolarAid macrosolar assessment process with the Vice Headmaster and teachers from Dihimba Secondary School. Prosper (bottom left) is our local solar consultant.

One of our favourites was Dihimba, a secondary school located approximately 22 kilometres from the main road and 35 kilometres from any sizeable town. Dihimba is one of the largest villages in the Mtwara rural region and is an 'Ujamaa' village, one that was resettled under former president Nyerere's village-isation strategy.

In my three visits to this school, I was always greeted warmly by the teachers and staff. The pride of the teachers in their school is evident in the landscaping art that graces the front of the school, proclaiming 'Dihimba Secondary Day School' (it runs the entire length of the school!)

'Dihimba Secondary School' sewn in grass at the front of the school.

The school has passed our initial assessment phase and their application form has just arrived to our office by express post as I write this! If the final application meets all of SolarAid's macrosolar criteria we hope to be able to install a solar system on the school in the new year.

Fingers crossed and I'll keep you posted!

More soon,
Courtney

Beautiful and remote. Dihimba village in the Mtwara rural region.

Last week I wrote about the women weavers of Ifakara. I thought I'd finish off by saying that although I do not have the exact information, I do believe the Ifakara kikoi is a self-sustaining enterprise. I would be curious to see if we can leverage the distribution network of organisations such as the kikoi cooperative to distribute our solar panels. If we can do this then we can keep the distribution cost relatively low, while providing additional income sources for women and under-privileged groups in remote areas. We can also gain lessons learned from an established social enterprise in rural Tanzania.

The kikoi factory is just one example of an existing non-traditional network into which we can tap to distribute solar products. There are many throughout Tanzania. The challenge is on how to recruit, organise and train them to be microsolar distributers.

My distribution strategy (to be completed in the next couple of months) will highlight strategies on how we can best reach these organisations and leverage existing distribution networks to bring solar power to Tanzania. I'm looking forward to presenting this strategy to the SolarAid team.

In the village of Ifakara, not too far from the tempestuous Kilombero River where a ferry flipped a year earlier drowning a number of passengers, I had the chance to visit the Ifakara women weavers. These women are part of a cooperative that provides an income source to women in the region. The women produce the famous Ifakara 'kikoi', the hand-loom weavings worn as a sarong, body wrap, head-cover or scarf. These colourful kikoi's are produced from hand-dyed yarns, using wooden equipment that I thought I would only see in museums.

Woman wearing a kikoi

It was a joy to watch them weave and even more of a joy to look at the dozens of colourful designs that the kikoi factory had produced. In the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, about 8 hours away, the Ifakara kikoi can be found in upscale shops for about £10 - £13 each. But at the Ifakara kikoi factory, you can get them for nearly half the price. One wonders how a kikoi shop could have any relationship to microsolar distribution in rural Tanzania, which is the focus of my project. But the relevance is certainly there.

An Ifakara woman weaver

The leveraging of existing distribution channels will facilitate the distribution of microsolar products in the country. For example, the Ifakara kikoi's can be found in many shops throughout Tanzania, from the southern highlands of Iringa, to the northern safari circuits of Arusha, to the capital city of Dar es Salaam. Somehow, the kikoi's, produced not too far from the tempestuous Kilombero River, wove its way to distant regions of the country. And the women's cooperative were able to do this while keeping the final price relatively reasonable and whilst maintaining a sustainable business to keep the women weavers employed.

More about this in my next blog, but in the meantime please support this project by donating whatever you can.

Thank you,
Irna

We had just re-engaged with the tarmac when a bird flew into the windscreen, smashing and completely removing it. The immediate tension was replaced by laughs all around. Sunglasses and a hat were found for the driver to protect him from the wind and dust. And we were off again.

As we arrived into the village of Mikindani, I was greeted by Ben, our contact from NoPC, with whom we are hoping to link up the running of their new low-energy computers in schools with our solar systems in the rural areas.

The next day we headed out to some villages to look for potential schools. We hired an open-air three wheeled taxi as there is no local transport that plies this route, with locals relying on bicycles or foot for distances of 50km or more inland. The area is poor with minimal government investment after the failure of the planned groundnut scheme resulting in the area being a total net importer of food.

The reality in Mtwara
Only one secondary school in the entire Mtwara rural and urban regions has a stable electricity supply. Two more are linked to the grid, although remain powerless due to the high costs of electricity, and all the others have no access to electricity. Students are learning about the concept of electric lights in secondary schools without ever having seen one.

A rural primary school in the Southern region of Mtwara in Tanzania.

While speaking about solar with one of the school teachers in Mgao village I was surprised to see how well she understood the potential of solar power. She then explained to me that it was well-known because there were some panels in her village. She took me to have a look. Indeed, there were three panels charging a car battery which was then being used in the evenings to charge mobile phones for a profit (at 50% increased cost than in Mtwara town - 30km away). A second and a third village were also found to be using solar, although all in a private capacity. Now the challenge is to ensure that the public benefits from solar through solar systems on schools.

School children following us as we left a village in Mtwara, Tanzania.

An education without light
Can you imagine your high school experience without electricity? No science experiments, no chance for studying in the evening or possibly even on a dark, rainy afternoon and only learning about electricity as an abstract concept. One of the schools I visited was constructing a dormitory to accommodate students from far away - a macrosolar installation on the school would allow them to pursue reading and studying into the night.

While waiting for the bus out of Mtwara a few days later at 5:30am I contemplated the relative remoteness of the region. The road into the west of Tanzania is horrendous and completely impassable during the rains. There is no road southwards into Mozambique, with the car ferry having recently sunk and only small dugout canoes ferrying passengers across the river to the border posts on the other side.

My trip back to Dar Es Salaam would also become a 15 hour odyssey through breakdowns, poor roads and congested city traffic. Mtwara remains isolated but its people need not experience a lower quality of education as a result. Energising schools is a positive start in improving education in the region.

More from me soon,
Courtney

Reflecting solar panels. Mgao village, Mtwara Region in Tanzania.

Women's Action for Development Organisation, learning about microsolar.

They said that when they think of solar, they think of large panels that they know they cannot afford. They do not understand that there are panels out there that even a villager can own, which can provide power for basic needs such as lighting and charging batteries. Curious to discover, they made every effort to come see this new technology, spending not only the time but also the transportation cost to see a demo.

They heard about SolarAid by word of mouth, through a British Tanzanian woman I met at the airport who was intrigued by my mission to bring solar to the villages. She said she runs a women's action organisation which would be very interested in working with me. Before she returned to the UK, she passed on the idea to her friends which resulted in this meeting.

Microsolar benefits
The demo was successful! The women immediately saw the benefit of microsolar panels. They were pleasantly surprised to learn that it is relatively affordable. Before I knew it, they were already thinking about how many panels their group could sell, how they would be selling the product, and the challenges of bringing these panels to the remote villages that need them the most.

"Some of these villages can only be reached by bicycles," a thoughtful woman commented. What I like about her comment is that she made them with the enthusiasm of someone keen to overcome that obstacle, as oppose to the resignation of someone who thinks the obstacle is too much. She did not have immediate solutions for me during our first meeting, but I know that given the time and the incentive, she would find a way to bring panels to those villages that can only be reached by bicycles.

Urban poverty
The women's organisation helps widows find sustainable income generation channels to help them support their families after their husbands have passed away. One woman commented that poverty exists not only in the rural areas, but also close to the city centre, as disease such as AIDS leaves a trail of widows and orphans. Thus, the group's mission is to find ways for these groups in need to support themselves. Training them to be microsolar entrepreneurs will be a great way to help them get back on their feet.

The women already placed an order for twenty panels, but they asked if they could come back to me with exact numbers as they would first like to take a survey on the needs in the villages where they operate. They said this number is just a trial, and assuming the trial is successful, I could see them ramping up for more sales.

I also showed them the light that could connect to the panels. One was a small, low cost light for Tsh6000 (about £3). Another was a more robust tube lighting for Tsh35000 (about £18).

They liked the robustness and brightness of the tube light, but already know that the price is too high. They said the small one is more marketable. That observation reaffirmed the price sensitivity of the market.

A positive attitude
Although it was getting dark and the women had to take public transportation back home, they did not want to leave me. They were eager to meet with me again and have extended invitations to visit their families, the communities, and their organisations. The warmth and the excitement was genuine.

Sometimes you know when you hit something good. That meeting with the Women's Action for Development Organisation definitely could lead to something very, very good.

Irna

However, walking alone in the dark is not recommended for women, regardless of how safe and friendly a city seems to be. With options limited by the setting sun, we took a not-so-thrilling route with a nice stroll around a large parking lot.

It was safe, with plenty of security guards around, and of course, surrounded by the cool night air.

As we were reaching a corner, a woman with an American accent approached us and asked if we knew of a good Indian restaurant in town. So I gave her directions to my favorite Indian restaurant. We spoke a bit and I learned that she is a Wharton MBA grad from Pennsylvania who wanted to make a fresh start in Tanzania. Intrigued by the similarities in our background, we moved onto talking about my favorite subject since I arrived in Africa - solar panels and the challenge of bringing solar energy to the villages.

She was intrigued, wanted to learn more, and expressed interested in opening an assembly site for us near the village where she was buying a farm. We have been meeting a few times since then and the next step is for us to meet up in her village. As she has many ideas, I'm looking forward to the next time I meet her, perhaps this time bringing John Keane or one of my team members from SolarAid with me.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this is because I want to emphasize the importance of these random meetings in Tanzania. Sometimes, not having a car, and being forced to walk in a parking lot can lead to a great meeting that can have a significant outcome. And I find this type of impactful random events throughout my stay here - with simple conversations and unplanned introductions- leading to potentially interesting collaborations.

I find that openness, the 'anything is possible' attitude, a willingness to learn, and just a natural spontaneity in loving what you do, become intangible factors that can make or break one's experience in a country like Tanzania.

These intangible factors can transform a random meeting in a parking lot into a pot of gold.

Irna

Other random meetings and possible collaborations...

This is Melanie, me and John Keane. Melanie is a medical student who may be able to introduce us to clinics that SolarAid can work with in the future, and can give insight into the medical world here.

Me with Geoff Fox. Geoff is owner of the Mufindi Tea Plantation. His family have a foundation that sponsors health clinics, orphanages, community centres and schools.

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.

Amidst the bustle of the village, SolarAid conducted training on how to assemble solar panels using basic ingredients where the heavy components such as the wooden frames are sourced in Africa.

There were Tanzanians from all walks of life, from a young mattress entrepreneur with two children to a bachelor farmer who came all the way from the village to learn about solar energy.

The group was super-excited about solar and its potential in Africa.

One visionary attendee noted, "I want to know how to make the panel, use the panel, and then sell the panel." I think, in that short statement, he summarised the way many Tanzanians (especially the visionary ones) like to work. They want to understand how something works from inside out, as if wanting to understand the system as a whole, before fully embracing its parts. It can be a frustrating quality for some who want others to embrace their ideas immediately. But I was proud of this guy for wanting to know how parts fit into the whole, before jumping into a new initiative. Phrases like that reminded me of the hope that remains alive in this country.

Have a look at the picture below of the group testing their panel in the sun. It was a delight watching their eyes glow with amazement as they watched how the sun can cause the radio to blare music from Madonna (yes, Madonna was on the radio at that very moment!).

Testing the panel with a radio

Here's the group showing off their panel and screaming "Umeme Rahisi!" which means "cheap, easy power!". As you can see, the joy and pride was genuine.

"Umeme Rahisi!" ('Cheap, easy power')

More from me soon!

Irna

There was a sweet woman entrepreneur/shop owner in a tiny village who said that she had to use her kerosene lamp frequently as her shop closes at 10pm and it starts getting dark at 6pm. That's 4 hours of sitting next to a kerosene lamp in a tiny shop. She said she'd be willing to pay up to $30 for a solid solar lamp.

Quality or a "solid lamp" is important here because they expect these purchases to last forever, as the traditional kerosene lamp tends to last a very long time. When I asked her when she bought her existing kerosene lamp, she said she didn't remember because it was such a long time ago.

Irna

Mason Huffine, who helped SolarAid set up it's new office in Dar es Salaam

I just wanted to write an update from Dar Es Salaam. I arrived here exactly two weeks ago. Mason, who was supposed to pick me up, told me to look for a 'tall Caucasian guy with a beard'. But when I got out, I saw two tall Caucasian guys with beards, and wasn't sure who to approach. It turned out that either of them would have been a viable option as the other bearded guy was John Keane.

Me outside my appartment in Dar

Anyway, Mason, John and I had our first SolarAid meeting at a bench surrounded by the African night. It was quick meeting, but enough for me to catch a glimpse of everyone's excitement in ramping up this project. And yes, a project to distribute microsolar products to the most rural parts of Tanzania is an exciting one and I am glad I got to enter at the ground up.

The past week has been very busy. Mason and I have been running around town getting the office setup. It was a great way to get oriented with the layout of the city as well as get a feel of the work culture in this country. I met with a lawyer, the internet setup guys and building management. Mason also helped to get me settled by showing me where to buy food and how to get internet access.

The new SolarAid office in Dar

As this picture shows, our office reflects a true startup in the making. It's completely empty except for a large wooden desk that will be returned to their rightful owner (another NGO) next week. At the very least, we have internet setup (which is a big deal here!) and furniture will arrive within one day of placing the order.

First impressions of Tanzania... hmmm... beaches with sparkling blue water where you can watch fisherman return home at sunset. Yes, I mentioned the beach because that's where I am staying, right by the water, next to an Irish Pub. It's a social place where in one visit, you can meet people who work for different NGO's. One of my early goals here is to get an understanding of what different NGO's do, in order to identify areas of synergy. As a startup, we don't want to reinvent the wheel, and we want to gather as many lessons learned as possible from those who have done something similar in the past. Although our product is microsolar, we also need to look at existing distribution processes for medical products, food supplies, and small electronic equipment. Thus, staying next to the Irish Pub is somewhat conducive to this mission.

The view from my appartment here in Dar

I am very excited about meeting potential female entrepreneurs here in the city. I'll be holding my first focus group on Friday to ask several local women about what they think of microsolar products. We also plan to meet up with several NGO's next week.

Until next time!!

Irna

Irna comes with bags of experience. 'I've worked for years for corporate America, as well as setting up a start-up and country offices,' she says. 'I'm really excited about this work with SolarAid in Tanzania and putting to good use the skills I've learnt.'

Irna arrived in Dar Es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, yesterday evening after spending a two day induction in the SolarAid office in London, where we went through all our strategies and plans. She was greeted in Dar by John Keane, our Head of Programmes, who was just on his way back from a trip to visit our team in Zambia. Irna has now settled into her new home in Dar and is already hitting the ground running!

I'm not sure if they were sitting on the floor, on some boxes, or if they managed to get hold of some chairs, but the next step is definitely getting hold of some furniture! The team is also busy preparing for the arrival of our new volunteer Irna who has been recruited through MBAs Without Borders. Irna has plenty of experience in business development - something which is key to ensuring successful microsolar projects.

Meanwhile, seven hours away in Iringa, Destory at Neema Crafts is busy organising a shipment of amorphous silicon glass into the country to replenish the solar group's supplies for future production. So lots of hard work going on all round!

We now have the human resources, but of course we also rely on donations from people like you, so please help this project to grow by donating today.

Thank you,
John

The latest from our solar manager Destory in Tanzania is that sales of microsolar products are going up following the recent sales and marketing training. They are now placing a new order to import solar PV glass into Tanzania that will enable them to continue production. This is great news!

Carl, one of our volunteers based in Malawi, also recently visited Neema Crafts and was very impressed with the operations there. So, it's full steam ahead in Tanzania!

This is Carl, one of our volunteers in Africa