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The Maasai Mara is a Kenyan game reserve famous for some big residents! Elephants, rhinos, zebras, buffalo and lions all live in the Mara.

Isokon Primary and Secondary School in the heart of the Maasai Mara, Kenya

However, the Maasai Mara is also home to the Maasai people. Carol and I were in the Mara having previously spoken with The Anne K. Taylor Fund, a private organisation which works to protect wildlife and tackle the issue of human-wildlife conflict in the reserve. With their help we were able to visit seven schools and two women groups with our solar lights.

One of the schools we visited was Isokon School. The school recently started a semi-boarding program to keep older pupils, who travel long distances, in school. Shockingly, the effects of kerosene lanterns, traditionally used for students to study by, could be seen on the ceiling of the class rooms.

One of the classrooms had particularly bad kerosene stains on the ceiling from where students had studied after sun down.

In order to reach the greatest number possible, we met with teachers and women's groups, who were ideally placed to distribute solar lights to families throughout the community. Below, you can see the excitement as we demonstrated the microsolar lights to the groups.

A community group, with Carol and Hudson, learning how to use solar lights.

I believe that our programs will have a real impact on this community. The Maasai travel long distances, risking their lives over land occupied by wild animals, in search for kerosene and mobile phone charging. They also burn a lot of wood to both cook and light their homes in the evening. Solar power, and the mobile phone charging function it provides, will allow them to light their homes and charge their phones without walking these huge distances, inhaling toxic fumes or spending their income on brutally expensive kerosene and candles.

Carol and hudson demonstrate solar lights to the community.

We learnt so much about the wonderful Maasai community and the wildlife that shares their land. For our safety, we were given armed escort during our visits, which we were happy about as we even had the chance to see lions at close range!

A Lion relaxing after a good meal!

Hudson

With your support we can continue to reach rural people in sub-Saharan Africa with clean and affordable solar power. Click here to make a donation.

We recently carried out site surveys in Makueni, a two and a half hour drive east of Nairobi. Being a semi-arid area, there are many challenges that the people there face, such as unpredictable rainfall leading to crop failure. Consequently, there is an acute shortage of food, sometimes to the extent that school feeding programmes are put into effect by the government. The area is also surrounded by poor roads and is cut off from the electricity grid.

Makueni is home to Kikongooni Primary School, a school that is based on top of a hill and only accessible by foot. The Head Teacher, Mr Peter Matolo, was so relieved to hear that they were to receive solar that he said he would be 'holding his breath' as we climbed the hill... but that it wouldn't be a problem because the whole community would help carry the equipment to the top of the hill.

Mr Matalo also said that, before solar his school was set to be disqualified because of the difficulties in access. Now the school will attract more pupils and teachers from within the community, which in turn will keep it running. Our hope is that it will not be raining during the installation because we have to cross a wide sandy river with no bridge before climbing the hill to the school...

Hudson