The Maasai Mara is a Kenyan game reserve famous for some big residents! Elephants, rhinos, zebras, buffalo and lions all live in the Mara.

Isokon Primary and Secondary School in the heart of the Maasai Mara, Kenya

However, the Maasai Mara is also home to the Maasai people. Carol and I were in the Mara having previously spoken with The Anne K. Taylor Fund, a private organisation which works to protect wildlife and tackle the issue of human-wildlife conflict in the reserve. With their help we were able to visit seven schools and two women groups with our solar lights.

One of the schools we visited was Isokon School. The school recently started a semi-boarding program to keep older pupils, who travel long distances, in school. Shockingly, the effects of kerosene lanterns, traditionally used for students to study by, could be seen on the ceiling of the class rooms.

One of the classrooms had particularly bad kerosene stains on the ceiling from where students had studied after sun down.

In order to reach the greatest number possible, we met with teachers and women's groups, who were ideally placed to distribute solar lights to families throughout the community. Below, you can see the excitement as we demonstrated the microsolar lights to the groups.

A community group, with Carol and Hudson, learning how to use solar lights.

I believe that our programs will have a real impact on this community. The Maasai travel long distances, risking their lives over land occupied by wild animals, in search for kerosene and mobile phone charging. They also burn a lot of wood to both cook and light their homes in the evening. Solar power, and the mobile phone charging function it provides, will allow them to light their homes and charge their phones without walking these huge distances, inhaling toxic fumes or spending their income on brutally expensive kerosene and candles.

Carol and hudson demonstrate solar lights to the community.

We learnt so much about the wonderful Maasai community and the wildlife that shares their land. For our safety, we were given armed escort during our visits, which we were happy about as we even had the chance to see lions at close range!

A Lion relaxing after a good meal!

Hudson

With your support we can continue to reach rural people in sub-Saharan Africa with clean and affordable solar power. Click here to make a donation.

Makueni is home to Kikongooni Primary School, a school that is based on top of a hill and only accessible by foot. The Head Teacher, Mr Peter Matolo, was so relieved to hear that they were to receive solar that he said he would be 'holding his breath' as we climbed the hill... but that it wouldn't be a problem because the whole community would help carry the equipment to the top of the hill.

Mr Matalo also said that, before solar his school was set to be disqualified because of the difficulties in access. Now the school will attract more pupils and teachers from within the community, which in turn will keep it running. Our hope is that it will not be raining during the installation because we have to cross a wide sandy river with no bridge before climbing the hill to the school...

Hudson

Yesterday, I travelled to Naivasha, Kenya, with our Macrosolar Assistant, Hudson, to attend the official opening of East Africa's first solar panel factory!

Ubbink's staff member, Martin, explains the manufacturing process to Hudson.

This feels like a great step forward for the solar sector in East Africa. Years ago, together with a handful of like-minded individuals, I worked with community groups in Kenya and Tanzania to set up small scale solar manufacturing units, making 1 - 2 watt panels that powered radios and mobile phones. These were great projects but we always felt that to reach true scale, we would need to set up a high-tech manufacturing unit with a lot of finance behind it. So yesterday was an extra special moment as it looks like Ubbink have nailed it!

Joyce demonstrating the laser scribing process.

From what we saw and heard yesterday, Ubbink, together with its international partners and the Dutch Government, has set up a highly professional factory, which is manufacturing over 100 panels a day of various sizes - to European standards. And they look great.

Walking around the factory, I was impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge of the staff working on the assembly line. They clearly know their stuff... and I could tell Hudson was impressed too as I had to work hard to tear him away at the end of the day!

Ubbink's solar panel factory in use.

Ubbink have already teamed up with local solar and batteries suppliers, Chloride Excide, so their panels will be available across Kenya and soon, the region. It's great to have panels made in East Africa, for East Africa. This feels like a landmark moment and it is hopefully just the beginning of greater investment in solar manufacturing for Africa.

There is so much sun here, so many skills and so many opportunities! It will be interesting to see how successful these solar panels become and if they can compete with international imports. Let's hope so!

John

For more information please visit http://www.ubbink.co.ke/

John Keane, Head of Programmes, started off as an urban planner before developing a deep interest in international development and solar energy. As a volunteer with Student Partnerships Worldwide in Tanzania, he became acutely aware of the pressing need for affordable, renewable energy in the rural communities. Once back in the UK, he researched the concept of micro solar and raised his own funds to go back to Africa and train solar entrepreneurs in Kenya, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Malawi and a number of other countries. He is the world leader on micro solar and a committed development expert.

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In July I visited Makueni High School with Microsolar Business Manager, Caroline and Microsolar Assistant, Bryan, as part of Education Day celebrations - an occasion which rewards teacher and student excellence.

The school is one of eight learning centres in Makueni District that we have identified as suitable for macrosolar installations. This means the installation of large solar panels to light classrooms, power laptop computers and charge mobile phones.

However, today we were using the celebrations to demonstrate portable microsolar systems to a packed audience of 4,000 villagers. These lights are used in homes to replace toxic and expensive kerosene or candles. They really do change lives, so it was a great feeling to reach so many students and adults with the power of solar.

Please have a look at some of my photos taken on the day below.

Thanks

Hudson

A huge crowd gathered and watched as we presented SunnyMoney microsolar lights.

Bryan (right) demonstrates household solar lights.

Makueni students performing a show for the huge crowd.

Makueni school received some of the best exam results in the area. Students received prizes for their success.

If you would like to support SolarAid's work so that we can continue to reach rural communities with clean and affordable light from the sun then please make a donation.

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Here's a little extra information about our health clinic solar installations on Oyamo Island and in the village of Osani, Lake Victoria.

Oyamo Island is a small fishing community with a population of about 3,000 people. The island's clinic had no lighting when we arrived and the gas-powered fridge for vaccines had long since fallen into disrepair. This meant that medicines were stored on the mainland - a one hour boat ride and another hour on the road. In total, a four hour round trip. What's more, if there was an emergency at night patients would have to provide their own lighting.

We were really pleased with the results, as were people in the local community, who can now use the systems to charge their mobile phones at a small cost compared to the previous hefty fee from the generator power supplier.

Please check out my pics below and Bryan's blog for much more on the project.

Hudson

Osani's newly installed solar fridge.

Oyamo Island's health centre mid-installation.

Arriving by boat: Local people volunteer to carry solar cargo up shore on Oyamo island.

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On April 25th I arrived with colleagues at the shores of Lake Victoria in Nyanza Province. We were there to install solar panels on two health centres and also promote SunnyMoney microsolar lights.

Community members unloading macrosolar panels on Oyamo island.

The Macrosolar team (the guys who install large systems on schools, health clinics and community centres) joined me and headed to the Osani Island and Oyamo Island health centres. We worked alongside partner organisation OGRA Foundation who run an integrated health and social services programme to mitigate the effects of poverty on wellbeing. The installations included a solar powered fridge to store perishable medicines and vaccines.

Hudson (left) and Bryan on their way to Oyamo island.

As Microsolar Assistant I spent my time shuttling between the islands. This involved crossing back and forth over a very choppy and scary Lake Victoria to reach the sites!

Community members with Macrosolar Coordinator Victor (centre).

The Oyamo Island community is made up almost entirely of fishermen, who were excited about the arrival of SunnyMoney solar lights. The portable systems enable people to replace toxic kerosene lanterns and dangerous candles with clean and safe light. Consequently, health is dramatically improved and the risk of fire is lowered. What's more, it allows both children and parents to study and work into the dark of night - a significant and liberating aspect of microsolar.

The men in these communities usually head on to the lake to fish at night and at dawn. SunnyMoney lamps act as a superior alternative to kerosene lanterns and light their way during the darkness. Seeing the benefits, the Fishermen's Union bought 26 solar lights then ordered many more. Home owners and head teachers expressing an interest in SunnyMoney products also placed orders through the Fishermen's Union.

Ms Ochieng holding her new SunnyMoney microsolar light.

On Osani island, good sales were recorded from the locals who have been frustrated by the sky rocketing cost of kerosene. Our lights are seen as a great way to save money with a superior product. They were particularly happy with the added mobile phone charging function on our systems. The lights effectively sold themselves as a symbol of practicality, affordability and reliability to the people of Osani and Oyamo Island.

More news soon.

Bryan

Last month myself and Microsolar and Accounts Assistant Asu, visited Community Based Groups affiliated with our new partner, the Kenyan microfinance institute K-Rep, in Kitui.

K-Rep are offering small start up loans to SunnyMoney entrepreneurs. We joined K-Rep to present SunnyMoney as a valuable business opportunity to local people interested in becoming entrepreneurs. The sessions mainly focussed on the SunnyMoney ordering process and necessary customer service needed to ensure that end-users (purchasers of microsolar lights) get the best from their products. We continued to teach on the capabilities, benefits, availability and high quality of the systems.

Asu conducting a product training session.

Asu and I managed to meet with 33 groups, each with between 10 and 15 members. K-Rep officers supported us and explained how three loan facilities were available should any of the group start up their own SunnyMoney franchise. They include: personal loans, group loans (chamaa loan), and a business development loan.

A Community Based Group listening intently at a school in Kitui.

We left having garnered a large amount of interest. However we also noted that it is important we continue follow-ups in Kitui to make the most of this interest. We left demo products and marketing materials with the K-Rep Kitui Branch Manager to continue to educate local people in the value of solar, not just as clean light but as a sustainable business endeavour.

Bryan

Please help SolarAid bring solar power to more rural Africans by making a donation.

Last week we visited Makueni, Kitui West, Kitui Central and Mwinga to evaluate locations for possible solar installations, meet with local District Education Officers and catch up with exisiting solar schools. DEOs are officials responsible for education in their region. We took them through our site selection process and also presented various SunnyMoney products.

Brilliantly, all our meetings were a success. Follow up talks with local head teachers in these areas should take place in the next few weeks. With the cooperation of enthusiastic DEOs, we expect the next batch of school projects to run smoothly.

Kitui West is a particularly significant area for us as last year as we made 12 installations there. This most recent trip gave us the opportunity to re-visit the school installs there and assess the impact of our projects.

We learnt that there has been remarkable improvement in academic grades in most schools since installing solar. One school has started a semi-boarding program while the rest now have both late evening and early morning classes. According to the teachers in these schools, clean lighting and solar competitions for students has really boosted morale. In fact many students are asking for a supply of microsolar lamps to take back to their homes!

What's more, the most promising news is that many of our schools have recorded a remarkable improvement in the yearly National Exams, with the mean average grade improving by between five and 11 points. Great stuff.

To enable us to reach more schools with solar power please make a donation here.

Two weeks ago, Hudson and I were joined by a BBC film crew to visit two solar installation sites at Nzeve and Kilisa Primary Schools in Kitui West. We were welcomed with joy and jubilation from the teachers and students, just look at the photo below!

Excited students giving us a warm welcome at Nzeve Primary School.

The head teacher of Nzeve Primary, Mr Henry Mwafrika, told us that his school had performed extremely well in the National Primary School examinations. Mr Mwafrika said that since SolarAid installed solar panels, they have started a boarding school programme to allow students longer study time. Morale and motivation for both students and teachers is now sky-high, and has translated into hard work.

Before solar, the mean average grade at Nzeve school was 277/500 (a grade C), now it has risen to 292/500 (B-). Two of the highest scoring students scored 383/500 (A-) and 366/500 (B+), gaining them access to National High Schools. This was a first for the school since it was established ten years ago. Kilisa Primary School also benefitted from solar with a general rise in performance, posting a high score of 371/500 (mean grade A-).

The BBC crew filmed the two solar schools for BBC World News programme Third Eye. They also filmed a local SunnyMoney entrepreneur to highlight the impact that solar is having on development in rural parts of Kenya.

On behalf of SolarAid, we would like to congratulate the teachers, students and the community at Nzeve and Kilisa Primary Schools. Keep it up!!

Third Eye will be aired from February 12th. To find out where and when you can watch it, please visit: www.bbcworldnews.com/pages/schedules

To support SolarAid and help bring light to more schools in rural Africa, please make a donation.

Bryan

Employees for the company are encouraged to save energy in the workplace via LED displays placed near light switches, power-consuming appliances and screen savers throughout the office. The cost for every unit of energy saved is donated to Cheryl's Children's Home to power their solar system, installed by SolarAid.

Wieden + Kennedy have made a short film to show the wonderful impact that solar is having on children's home. The message is simple, "Turn off: turn on."

Visiting Cheryl's Children's Home from Wieden + Kennedy London on Vimeo.

For more on this groundbreaking project please click here.

The SunnyMoney kiosk in Kalulini, Kitui West.

In essence, the branded kiosks are a symbol of our presence in these areas and our intent to help rural people fight poverty and climate change through microsolar. The kiosks are positioned strategically in order to centralise the SunnyMoney brand in communities and to ensure local entrepreneurs benefit from the extra storage capacity. The stores are also intended to provide a centralized and organized collection point for stock and income generated from sales.

To ensure customer confidence and long term satisfaction we are training entrepreneurs to implement an effective book-keeping system, as well as customer service and marketing of the brand.

More microsolar updates soon.
You can support entrepreneurs and help set up more kiosks by making a donation here.

Bryan

(From Right to Left) Kitui Central shop owner, Ishmael Mohammed, Asu Owino, and Salesio Njeru.

(From Right to Left) Microsolar Coordinator, Salesio Njeru,
MicroSolar Assistant, Asu Owino, Kiosk Leader, Kuki Matiko and Kiosk Leader in Kaluini, Bridgit Mutia.

Arriving at Kyainya Primary school to evaluate the performance of the macrosolar installation.

The school has a small population of 170 pupils and receives almost no attention from the government. The Head Teacher, Mr. Boniface Kimanzi, happily told us that SolarAid has given the school a facelift, and that he could not believe that we chose Kyainya as an installation site.

The macrosolar installation absorbing light from the the sun on Kyainya Primary School's roof.

A few days after we left, the Head Teacher called to say that the area's Member of Parliament had planned a visit to the school with the aim to allocate funds for the renovation of the ageing class rooms. Fantastic news, not only is SolarAid's programme improving education in the school, but garnering attention from the government and creating opportunities for investment.

Kitui West is a four hour drive east of Nairobi and lacking in infrastructure. However, in just seven months this remote region has benefited from 10 school installations and one solar powered clinic. This means more than 3000 students benefit! An amazing achievement for the Kenyan team.

The roads in Kitui West can be difficult to pass even in the 4x4.

The residents of this region have been very receptive to our programmes with many schools writing impressive and enthusiastic applications for installations. This positive desire for solar has really helped us achieve great things here.

The climate in West Kitui is harsh and very difficult to farm. Because of this there tends to be a lot of relief work in the region and a reliance on donations. Despite the poverty, residents value education a great deal and work very hard to meet the 10% installation cost that we ask for. The investment is not only necessary in monetary terms but also as it serves to affiliate benefactors with the installation process and encourages interest. This is important in order to achieve sustainability of the solar systems.

In every school the story is the same. Teachers are not just interested in immediate results but instead have a long term vision in order to improve conditions. They complain that the area has been neglected due to bad politics and that they want their children to get good education in order to bring a better quality of life and leadership to the region.

Children playing under their new macrosolar panel at Nzeve Primary school.

At Nzeve Primary School a mini dormitory is being constructed to house a number of older pupils each week. Head Teacher Mr. Henry Njagi told us: "The dormitory will give the students more time to study and consequently improve their grades."

To show how important the system has become to them, we were shown a makeshift wire mesh cover that guarded the panels in case pupils threw objects at them. However, we advised that teachers educate pupils of the many benefits that the system brings in order to keep the panels safe.


Syomunyu Girls Secondary School has a new solar panel installed on its laboratory.

Syomunyu Girls Secondary School is one of the most impressive schools to benefit from our programme. School Principal, Mrs. Jane Musyoka and her students have been writing to us about how the system has benefited them and how they hope for an upgrade in order to use some of the desk top computers they have. However when we met again we advised them to look for laptops instead as they will run better off solar.

More macro updates regarding this busy time in Kitui West very soon.

Hudson

The Solar Roller readying itself for more sunshine distribution

North Bungoma is located in Western Province of Kenya and borders Uganda. This area is vast and rich in farming but has no tar marked roads or electricity. At one point we had to seek help from members of the local community to dig the Solar Roller out of the muddy terrain, at other times Victor, the new macrosolar coordinator, ran beside the roller to help me avoid hazards in the road.

Despite trouble with the solar roller and the rain, it was a thumbs up for the SolarAid team from the community and they wished to see us again. The photos below show each of the schools we installed at and their prospective number of students - it's great to know how many people will benefit from solar.

Mukuyuni Girls High School (N/Bungoma 325 students)

Mitua Girls Secondary School (N/Bungoma 400 Students)

Rabwao Primary School (M/Bay 814 Students)

St.Kizito Sirende secondary School (N/Bungoma 350 students)

After a stopover and overnight stay in Kisumu town to fix the Solar Roller, we continued our journey to Muhuru Bay stopping at Osani (a potential area for both macro & micro projects) finally reaching Muhuru Bay to a warm welcome by those who had been eagerly waiting for us.

Muhuru Bay is located on the shores of Lake Victoria and bordering Tanzania the climate here is hot and humid. The area is not as large as Bungoma and is hard hit with poverty. The climate here is also not good for farming, hence small scale fishing is the most common source of income.

At Rabwao Primary school we met Head Teacher Mr Wigina who really appreciated our decision to install the solar system. He told us that child labour is rampant in the community due to a high level of poverty and that without adequate lighting they have not been able to provide children with an alternative to prevent them from entering cheap working schemes after school. With lighting now installed, he will be able to develop programmes that will make learning more interesting for the pupils.

Hudson (closest to camera) and Victor discuss the installation process with Head Teacher Mr Wigina (right)

Though the area is hard hit by poverty and suffers from a lack of infrastructure, Lisory Primary School (a beneficiary of macro programs) has consistently produced top performing students nationally each year. Because of this, UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund) built four new classrooms and also a small administration block.

The Head Teacher of Lisory Primary School, Mrs Esther Atieno, was very grateful that SolarAid visited after completion of the new classrooms. She said that macrosolar will boost learning in the school and that she expects even better academic results for the future.

If you would like to support microsolar projects in Kenya please make a donation here.

Joshua (second from right) and his friends keep warm in the back of the Solar Roller before kick off.

We stopped in Kitui West Market to set up the Solar Roller which comes equipped with a solar powered projector for an evening of live football. The match was Uruguay vs. Netherlands. The whole village seemed to have turned up - impressive considering they would usually be asleep by 9pm or 10pm and the match didn't start until 9.30pm! Most of the village stayed right until the end to watch Uruguay win 3-2, including seven year old Joshua and his friends who were keeping warm in the back of the Solar Roller (see above).

Before the match we took the opportunity to advertise our products, everyone was interested. Showing the bright Ravi light at night generated enthusiasm and we got a lot of attention. It also gave me a chance to test out my prototypes.

The following day we held a training session in Kitui for 12 new SunnyMoney entrepreneurs. There was a good mix of men and women of all ages. Each had been through our SunnyMoney challenge process to find and demonstrate support from local villagers for their new roles as franchisees. It was a long day of training in troubleshooting, marketing, solar power and business skills but was gratefully received. We left them with a demo product each and marketing materials to help drum up sales. It was great to see so many enthusiastic entrepreneurs!