Days 7-16
I’ve been unable to find reliable internet in order to post pictures or make additional posts. But I’ve managed to squeeze-in this post using the ever-elusive internet at our guest house.
We’ve made a lot of progress in the last 10 days. The construction of the solar charging center was lead by the villagers. It took about 5 days and required an all-hands-on-deck approach. My team and I purchased raw materials and also got our hands dirty! Several villagers carved out a clay pit made from dirt and water and created balls of clay. The children would pick them up and bring them to one man who assembled 9 feet high walls for a roughly 12ft by 15ft structure. The first day, each of the children went from point A to point B with their own clay. The second day the kids created an assembly line and tossed the clay to each other. It was exciting to see them come up with this process on their own!… and very fun to be a participant!
We hired a carpenter to come in and construct the roof. He worked 7 hours without a break in the sweltering heat and humidity. It is Ramadan so he did this without water or food! I had a chance to speak with him on the ride home in the afternoon. We discussed his job and a little bit about Ghana while he played 90’s R&B songs from his phone. He showed me several deep cuts on his left hand from an on-the-job accident he had earlier in the month. The wounds were poorly treated and were at risk of infection. I gave him some Neosporin to apply to those wounds, and then all of the sudden he had other scrapes and cuts on his body. I gave him enough to cover each of them. It was a somber moment realizing that he likely did not have access to a medical or emergency center where he could have these wounds addressed. He was very gracious when we said good-bye…
On the 4th day of construction, I for some reason thought it was a good idea to jump in the clay pit and start forming the balls of clay with my hands. I ended up catching a bug and having some stomach issues which knocked me out for a day. Fortunately, with a day of rest and antibiotics I was able to get back to the village just in time to start training the women how to operate the solar business.
Three women will own and run the solar business: Fatimata, Hamshowu, Fatima. Fatimata is a riot! She is very outgoing and each day she greets us excitedly with a smile. She has enviable social skills which sometimes reminds me of my grandmother. Hamshowu and Fatima are more reserved, but always seem to be in the center of what is going on. They are eager and able to learn very quickly.
Each of the women took turns connecting the solar system. We explained the basics of solar energy to them and how this particular system operates. We are using a Genset developed by Burro, a company that designs products for rural communities. I’ll post the specs of the system later for my fellow nerds, but the system components include: solar panels, charge controller, batteries, and inverter. The system has a simple user interface which uses symbols to indicate the status of each of these components. This made it easier to explain to the women how each component works and how to identify issues as they arise.
So by now you may be asking, this is all great John, but how does this business work?
The solar system charges rechargeable batteries for use in lanterns ALL designed by Burro. Again these products are designed specifically for rural communities so they are durable and inexpensive. Villagers will pay the women a small fee to rent rechargeable batteries. When their charge ends, they will return the batteries and swap out for new ones for a small fee. Having spent the last two days distributing lanterns I’ve found that most of the village is very excited about being able to have lights at night. They will be able to extend their active hours, allowing them to pursue income generating activities and schooling at night.
Yesterday, we also trained the women on how to keep track of sales. This will be important because after 1 year they will be responsible for replacing components of the system if they become faulty and/or break. The women are expected to be able to count, so they will use a simple tally system to keep track of sales. They do not seem to have many opportunities to write so I think they are excited to have this responsibility.
Today is opening night for the business and for the first time we will be in our village after sunset. I think it’s going to be a busy and exciting night. It will certainly be the business’ busiest night as the entire village comes for their first set of batteries. The women are excited to do some dancing! They have been reminding us the last three days! They are saying that they will have their energy since they will be able to eat and drink at night, customary during Ramadan.
Well that was a mouthful! Thanks for checking in!
I will have to post pictures when I return to the states. The internet simply can’t handle it here.
More to come!
-John
Tags: Saha, Solar