Bob's story

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.