June 2010 Archives

For the final blog covering my experience in Kenya I have uploaded some images of the Naitiri school children settling down in front of our solar cinema.

Cinema is a fantastic way to demonstrate the capabilities of solar - the spectacular visuals bring home just how much energy is at their disposal with macrosolar.

We held the solar cinema for students and teachers of Naitiri Friends School inside a church next to the school. The church was packed with eager and very excited young people who relished the opportunity to watch a film, most for the first time.

A packed church hall, in anticipation of the solar cinema showing.

Afterwards, I conducted some voxpop interviews with students streaming out of the church, still beaming from their enthralling experience. I asked several of the students about solar energy and what they thought it was.

"Solar energy is from the sun and we can convert for power"

Another student said:

"We have lots of sunshine here but no means of power. Solar panels will help our school and community as solar energy will provide power for free!"

View from the back of the church. Photo by Brad Bell.

After visiting Mbalako Secondary School (see my two blogs below) I headed to Naitiri Friends School in North Bungoma District. It is a less developed and smaller school than Mbalako but, like Mbalako, it has recently enjoyed the benefits of having a solar lighting system installed.

The new solar system sits on the roof at Naitiri Friends School.

I met with three fourth formers including the headboy Maxwell. Two of the three students told me that they wanted to be doctors or work in pharmaceuticals and the third wanted to be a nurse. Their principal, a lady called Rose, whose subject is Physics, is a strong solar advocate and was particularly excited to have solar power systems installed at her school.

The school has taken the interesting and enterprising decision to hand the management of the income generation from the solar system over to its Business Studies students rather than to teachers or a committee. This is a great way for students to understand the importance of enterprise, to learn about issues and problems that arise from running a small business and, most importantly, how to overcome these problems.

School Principal Rose N. Soita stands outside Naitiri Friends School.

The school charges 5Ksh (0.05p) to students and teachers and 10Ksh to (1p) outsiders in the community for phone charging. They plan to find a means of advertising the service more widely amongst the community in the near future. They also told me about their idea of offering a photocopying service to the people of Naitiri to increase the income from the system.

For Naitiri Friends School, whose motto is 'rising to the top is our goal', it seems the sky is literally the limit.

Anna

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