Here comes the sun

It was a long journey but it was worth every pothole-riddled, bumpy moment. I've just returned to Nairobi having travelled up to North Bungoma to meet our Sunny Money franchisees and visit schools. This is my first visit to SolarAid's programmes. And what a trip.

Our mode of transport was SolarAid's Solar Roller. If this vehicle had a personality (and it almost does) it would be always smiling and forever jubilant. You can't help but feel optimistic when you see this bright yellow van with its hopeful messages 'Here comes the Sun' and 'Solar power to the people'

The Solar Roller has 120W worth of solar panels on its roof. This is literally solar on the move. But I soon came to realise that this vehicle is much more than that.

As we headed north-west we drove through several flooded areas; the first signs of the heavy rains that have recently ravaged the country. The hardened ground, following months of drought, simply couldn't take the volume of rainfall. Over 100 people have died in the last few weeks as a result of flooding. The injustice of one extreme being followed so swiftly by another is a hard one to take in. Whilst in Nairobi, I got talking to a local guy who'd heard about the heavy snow in the UK and wanted to tell me about it. He also told me of his concerns for Kenya's weather patterns. "The weather is crazy. There is either not enough rain or too much. It's the result of global warming but I'm not sure what we can do about it".

A view from the Solar Roller of flooding south of Nakuru, Kenya.

Although solar is not the only answer it became apparent to me early on in our trip that many Kenyan's are fascinated and optimistic about the possibility of harnessing the sun's power. The Solar Roller undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention. Children waved, people smiled when they read the captions on the side and caught a glimpse of the solar panels on the roof.

Whilst at a petrol station just outside Nairobi, several attendants huddled around to peer in through the windscreen, intrigued by the small panels of our new microsolar product basking in the sun. "Where can we get one of these?!" one of them asked.

To see the interest in these products and their potential demand so early on in the trip filled me with enormous hope and excitement.

More from me soon...
Anna