Yesterday I spent the day with SolarAid's new patron Cherie Blair. We visited the Kibera slums outside Nairobi and we involved her in the interview process for franchisees. Mrs Blair is visiting Kenya and Malawi to see how her Foundation (The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women) is working with SolarAid to unlock the economic potential of women where the need for access to energy is greatest. Mrs Blair came away extremely impressed by the work being done, but also very aware of the challenges involved in setting up enterprise operations in the poorest sectors of society.
Cherie Blair with Sunny Money Franchisee Romonah Omukhobero in Kibera. March 2010.
From my point of view, interviewing the franchisee candidates was another vivid reminder of the daily grind that most people here face just to survive, and of why we set up SolarAid as a response to this. All the candidates have experience of running their own small businesses (mainly vegetable stalls), but face serious challenges such as intense competition, poor quality produce and lack of working capital, which is why the Sunny Money programme is so interesting to them.
All in all, a successful week. There is still more to do of course, but it's encouraging to know we're certainly heading in the right direction.
Nick.
Mbakalo Secondary School was the first school I visited which was a recent benefactor of a solar installation, completed a month earlier. Mbakalo is an academic school with 420 students. The school has big ambitions as well as a reason to be proud.
'Hard work precedes success: Do what makes sense'. The school motto is proudly displayed at Mbakalo.
Before the system was installed in December 2009, Mbakalo relied on its generator. This was not only costly and unreliable but also noisy and polluting. Since the new system was installed however, the school have had no need to buy any more fuel.
The school day at Mbakalo ends at 6pm but students from poorer families, who have no means of lighting at home (sometimes not even a tin lamp) can now stay much later to carry out additional study. The majority of extra study hours however are put in before the school day starts, with some students coming in as early as 5am to make the most of the light in the classrooms.
Moses demonstrates the solar-powered light bulb in Form Four's classroom- which has recently acquired solar power for lighting. Photo: Brad Bell.
While the system covers the staff room and library, it only caters for two of the classrooms. These are the Form Four rooms. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a degree of internal envy between the forms and teachers of those classrooms which don't have light. The Headmaster Mr Malika told us that the school took the decision to light Form Four - the oldest class of the school - for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because these students are preparing for exams and so study is particularly important for them. Secondly, it fosters an impetus to the younger children, giving them motivation to study hard to make it through to Form Four.
There is certainly kudos attached to both studying and teaching in the illuminated classrooms. I met with two teachers, both of whom taught fourth formers in the two lit classrooms. Physics teacher Mr Murutu said he'd really like to see power in the science laboratories, to facilitate experiments and allow him to demonstrate complex scientific concepts with conviction.
The school owns one television which sits in the library. Gathering around the television at 1pm to watch the news has now become part of the school day for its teachers. This new tradition has clearly proved very popular.
The school's television proudly sits in the library at Mbakalo, which has also recently had a solar lighting system installed. Photo: Charlotte Webster.
There is also one computer, which is used by the school secretary and hosts a basic database. The next step is to save up for more computers, then upgrade and extend the system to reach more classrooms and power computers for the students.
More about the reaction to the new solar system from teachers and students at Mbakalo in my next blog.
Anna
This was my first opportunity to meet our Kenyan Sunny Money franchisees. It was quite momentous for me personally as I'd heard so much about them! Our venue was a basic, though perfectly adequate storage room (turned function room) at Naitiri Dairy, in North Bungoma. The meeting was punctuated with the occasional mooing of cows who were wandering happily around outside.
Miguel led the meeting. There was a packed agenda, though the main purpose was to introduce the Franchisees to the newly improved, Sunny Money 'Ravi' product, and another lamp developed by Barefoot Power, the 'Firefly'.
Ravi versus Firefly
The two products are quite different - serving a more diverse market. The Firefly comes fully (solar) charged and has a tiny 1.5W panel included. It has a flexible head and provides incredibly bright, brilliant white light from its 12 LED bulbs. The Firefly (below) also has a hook, allowing the user to hang it up - to light an entire room. The Ravi, has a fully integrated phone-charging and lighting facility. It requires 24 hours worth of charging from its 1.5W panel. This is the first fully-branded Sunny Money product. These products are sold for 1800 KSH (around £14) as an introductory price.
The franchisees were delighted with the new products and especially that their feedback had been fed into this new improved model.
I led a small focus discussion with Romonah and Maximillar. Their first reaction to the Ravi was very positive. They were especially impressed by the instruction manual, as they say their customers need instructions to be as clear as possible.
Having been selling Sunny Money products for a year now, I was keen to hear from Romonah and Maximillar about any issues they'd come across and the kinds of feedback or questions that their customers had.
ABOVE: The Sunny Money Ravi.
"My customers are often very surprised by the size of the solar panel. Many don't believe that so much light can be produced from such a small panel" Romonah told me.
"They are also pleasantly surprised when you tell them that the product has a one year warrantee. This is so rare. Customers want to know that they are getting a good service and that the product is not just going to break or run out of power like others they've used. With Sunny Money, we are giving them a quality product that is reliable" Romonah told me with her signature smile.
A leading figure
Romonah's strategy is to target teachers, as this increases her chances of making a sale. Unlike many other professions in Kenya, teachers have a stable salary. They are also in a fixed location so there is less travelling required for her and she can meet with several at a time. Selling products after dark also has a strong impact - giving customers a chance to see the true capabilities of the product.
"My customers are always very excited when they see Sunny Money products".
Romonah, who is a very prominant figure in her community, is also determined to be a role model to other women and young girls:
"By being a franchisee I hope to show other women that you don't have to stay at home and be a home-maker or just cook and bear children. You can have an income which improves your family's quality of life, and helps the wider community too".
Romonah, meeting some customers.
You can help our franchisees to help their family and communities to make savings, reduce their reliance on kerosene and improve their health and life quality. Please support SolarAid today.
Bob Kokonya first came across SolarAid a year ago. Since then, his life has changed. Bob and his family used to rely completely on tin lamps for lighting their small home. These lamps are a very basic and lethal alternative to the more developed, though still highly polluting kerosene lantern.
Tin lamps are even worse than the kerosene lantern. They produce an exposed flame and burn through kerosene at a staggering rate - half a litre a day to be exact. That's a lot of fossil fuel burning, and would cost Bob 1800KSh each month - around £15.
Bob told me that when they used to burn tin lamps every night all his family's nostrils would be blackened by the morning. "The house was very smoky, we were coughing all the time". Bob has three children under the age of nine - Judy, Eliza and Wenslas. Just imagining the smoke entering their young lungs in such a poorly ventilated house is a sobering prospect. More sobering still is the tragic story that Bob told me about his neighbours who lost four children because of an overturned tin lamp that exploded and caught fire to their home.
Solar in demand
"People in my community really want to acquire solar. Around 50 families out of the 150 in my community are already using these solar products. And those who don't have them are yearning for them".
Bob knows, more than most, how convenient and economical solar energy is. It has made a big difference to him and his family; "In my daily life, I have seen a huge change. When I was buying kerosene and using tin lamps, I would struggle with providing my family with basic needs. 70% of my income was spent on kerosene and charging my mobile phone. I could not afford to make any savings and I could only afford to buy bread once a month. Now I can afford bread daily!"
Alarmingly, an enormous 90% of rural households in Kenya use these tin lamps over the kerosene lantern. And the average home would need four tin lamps to light it effectively. This means two litres of kerosene burning each night.
And with the price of kerosene constantly fluctuating it makes it hard to budget for.
"Solar is a good answer and I know that the demand is very high. There is a huge market there. I would be happy if very soon I see the Ravi lamps in shops instead of the tin lamps!"
Bob holds his now redundant tin lamp and his new SolarAid 'Ravi' light.
As well as the obvious health and financial benefits, Bob and his family are happier and now enjoy a better quality of life:
"I feel a lot safer for my family. I am comfortable with my small children walking around and I don't live in fear that they will knock over a naked flame. I am very pleased to see the end of those tin lamps. I haven't had to buy kerosene since February 2009!"
Please help Bob's community and millions of other Kenyans to gain access to clean and renewable technology, helping to improve health and quality of life.
You can watch a short film featuring Bob talking about the health and financial benefits to solar by clicking here.
ABOVE: Bob's three year old daughter, Eliza. Photo by Brad Bell.
We parked the Solar Roller in the heart of Makunga village to set up SolarAid Kenya's third solar cinema film showing. This has become something of a community event in the North Bungoma district. And judging by the huge crowd that had gathered in eager anticipation, word had got around.
Miguel sits in the Solar Roller watching the crowd gather for the solar cinema, Makunga.
As Miguel, Hudson, Moses and Brad set up the system (comprising a simple white sheet for the screen, a projector and speakers) SolarAid volunteer Charlotte and I entertained a fast-growing crowd of excitable children with a selection of solar-powered toys. Our young audience looked on in amazement as the toys started moving with exposure to direct sunlight.
Children play with the solar-powered helicopter. Makunga Village.
Why Solar Cinema?
The purpose of the solar cinema is two-fold. Firstly, to offer the community a tangible demonstration of solar energy in action; helping generate an interest in solar as a solution to rural Kenya's energy needs. The entire spectacle is, after all, powered by the sun - with 120W panels on the roof charging up the 4V's worth of batteries in the back that power the projector and laptop. So, as the Solar Roller rolls down the dusty, sun-drenched roads of Kenya it is literally harnessing the sun's rays.
Secondly, the solar cinema brings the community together, offering a social event where young and old alike can meet and share something unique. The delight here at Makunga was clear. Situated in a particularly poor region of North Bungoma the cinema seemed to offer light relief to what, for many, was likely another day of challenges.
Moses Mutai, one of SolarAid's star Sunny Money franchisees and resident of Makunga, told me: "It's so great to see everyone enjoying this experience together. It doesn't take a lot here to see the sense of community". And the crowd was certainly receptive. Many had never seen moving image before, let alone a Hollywood blockbuster.
Watching the action on the screen. Photo © Chris Harris/ The Times.
Sunny Money Moses
As the crowd settled down, transfixed by the action unfolding on the screen, I chatted to Moses about being a Sunny Money franchisee. Last year, Moses sold 150 microsolar products. His strategy is to visit churches and schools within his area, offering demonstrations, in the hope that his audiences will then tell even more friends and family about the amazing solar lights.
Moses is friendly and very charismatic, so selling the products suits him well.
"I like meeting new people and telling them about the products, seeing their interest. I explain that these products can change their lives."
He's also a good marketer. The large crowd at the solar cinema was mainly due to his spreading the word and the adverts he posted up around the community:
Moses is clearly very satisfied with being a Sunny Money franchisee. He takes great pride in bringing light to his community and offering people a practical solution to a problem he knows about only too well. Before being a franchisee, Moses relied on his farming for income. Now he is a lot more comfortable financially:
"Life has improved so much for me and my family. I want to help other people in Kenya improve their lives too!"
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