Olive Hamasamu is a 45-year-old mother living in Chikonka village, nestled in the heart of Zambia’s Chongwe district. Olive’s roots run deep in this community, as she was born and raised here. For as long as she can remember, the land has provided her with both challenges and rewards.
Samuel Mwakashanga, Margret Mwakashanga, Fred Mwakashanga, Veronica Mwakashanga, Olive Hamasamu, and her mother, Evan Chibatabata, gather together at their home in Chikonka Village, Chongwe District. Photo: SolarAid/Jason J Mulikita
A passionate health care volunteer and a dedicated farmer, Olive grows maize and groundnuts, raises poultry, and keeps goats to sustain her family. But the recent drought has hit her hard, leaving her to face a difficult year.
“The drought has really affected our livelihood,” Olive shares. “Farming is our main source of income, and last year we couldn’t produce anything because of the lack of rainfall.”
With no harvest to fall back on, Olive found herself struggling to invest in her poultry business. “I couldn’t even invest in poultry farming this year because all the money I had saved up was used to buy food for the home,” she explains. In the past, the maize she grew would provide both food and income, as they would grind it into mealie-meal, sell the surplus, and reinvest in her businesses. “But this time, we didn’t have enough even for ourselves,”“I had to use all the money I had to buy mealie-meal and other essentials.”
Mengezi N’cube demonstrates a solar lighting solution to customer Olive Hamasamu at her home in Chikonka Village, Chongwe District. Through this hands-on guidance, Olive gains access to sustainable energy, enhancing her quality of life. Photo: SolarAid/Jason J Mulikita
However, Olive’s story also carries a bright spark — quite literally — in the form of solar lighting. “Life has been made easy with solar lights,” she says. “We now save money we would have spent on candles and kerosene.” Olive first bought four small solar lights, and gradually added larger ones as her family’s needs grew.
The impact on her children’s education has been profound. “My children can now study at night, each with their own solar light,” Olive smiles proudly. “I also have one child who is in boarding school and he is able to study even when there is loadshedding at school.” She believes the switch to solar has made a huge difference in their academic performance. “Three of my children are now in university, and one is still in boarding school.”
For the past seven years, Olive has served as a volunteer at the local health clinic. Her work is driven by a simple but powerful passion: helping others. “I’m the bridge between the community and the health facility,” she explains. “If there are challenges, I report cases to the health facility, and I also help provide services and information to the people.”
When asked about the challenges she faces in her volunteer role, Olive’s thoughts turn to the clinic’s power issues. “Yes, there is electricity from the national utility company Zesco limited, but the facility also experiences loadshedding. The facility has done some solar installation in some rooms to mitigate the impact. However, other rooms like the maternity wards do not have solar lighting when there is loadshedding.” She recalls one night when loadshedding struck the clinic. “I recall just recently, there was loadshedding at the clinic and I escorted a patient to the maternity wing. We had to use my solar light to attend to the patient.”
The health facility serves as a mini-hospital, treating patients with a wide variety of health issues. “The most common cases at night are maternity-related,” Olive explains. “During the festive season, we usually have cases of accidents from candles or kerosene and those of snakebites are mostly during the rainy season like this.”
When Olive isn’t volunteering at the clinic or tending to her farm, she enjoys a quiet moment in church. “I love to sing with the choir,” she shares. “It’s a peaceful time where I can find comfort and joy.” She often sings alongside Mengezi, the areas local solar entrepreneur, who was the person who first brought her the solar lights.
Olive Hamasamu walks through her community in Chikonka Village, Chongwe District, with her daughters, Margret Mwakashanga and Veronica Mwakashanga, lighting their path with a solar light. This sustainable energy solution has brought newfound safety and independence to their evening journeys. Photo: SolarAid/Jason J Mulikita
“I would love to see solar lights become more affordable and accessible, especially for people like me with low incomes,” Olive says. “We know the importance of using solar lighting, but the cost is often too much, particularly during hard times like this drought.” Her wish is simple yet profound: “I hope that one day, everyone can have access to clean and safe lighting like solar.”
Olive’s story serves as a powerful reminder of strength, the power of community, and the small yet significant changes that can brighten even the darkest moments. Her journey, fuelled by love for her family and community, is one of hope — with solar light acting as a guiding light for a brighter future.