MAGADI, Kenya — In Kenya’s Kajiado County, the village of Magadi takes advantage of a solar power revolution carried out by more than 200 Masai women.
There was virtually no solar energy marketing in Kenya, but that statistic from 2006 jumped to a consumption rate of 20 percent in 2015. About 2,000 households have adapted to solar technology thanks to Masai women.
Jackline Naiputa knows too well the struggles of relying on kerosene. To buy fuel or simply charge a cellphone, stations sit 15 kilometers out of reach. She spent 40 cents a day on kerosene and a dollar each week to charge two mobile phones.
A report from World Health Organization in 2014 stated that 1.6 million deaths worldwide were due to household smoke inhalation. Rural communities rely on wood and coal to light their homes at night, but solar energy does not emit hazardous fumes. Green technology is a safer and a more convenient option.
About 68 percent of the country’s population is unable to reach the national grid. This is because they are either too remote or too poor to connect. About 92 percent of those who live remotely rely on expensive kerosene. Rural homes spend about 26 percent of their annual income on fuel for lighting.
Homework, reading and regular labor ends at dawn without light. Herds of goats and other livestock are in danger from wild animals like leopards and hyenas. Family members stay awake at night to fend off predators.
Naiputa had lost 10 goats in 2014. Her son stayed up in the middle of bone-chilling nights to watch over their cattle ever since.
Green Energy Africa (GEA) initiated The Women and Entrepreneurship in Renewable Energy Project (WEREP) to focus on training women of Kajiado County to use and install energy-efficient lights, solar panels and rechargeable batteries. About 200 became experts in solar use and experienced marketers for rural neighbors.
GEA sold these products to specific groups across five villages at a discount. Among these groups are the Masai, or a Nilotic group of nomadic people living in Southern Kenya. Naiputa is a member of the Osopuko-Edonyinap group in charge of providing services to Magadi.
Packing the products on donkeys, these Masai women travel from place to place where they provide light and power to many in need. These women sell the products for profit of about $3 each. This profit goes into an account that will purchase more products to restock.
It’s absolutely vital that Masai women have educated answers and can explain why these green energy products are beneficial for community members. One of the women, Lorna Salau, explains that people will travel to her house to charge their phones. Her children can now stay up at night to read.
The CEO of GEA, Edwin Kinyatti, understands just how valuable the sun is for the people of Kenya.
Since the country thrives on the equator, there’s always a chance for daily sunshine. According to GEA’s website, the amount of sunlight hitting the earth’s surface each hour is enough to meet the global energy demand for a year. One solar plant has the capability to provide more than 30,000 households with energy.
Among their products are the Outback, Xantrex Inverter, SMA Inverter and other brands. They provide back-up power that collaborates with any equipment. With no electrical buzzing, the equipment uses battery back-up power in case there are power outages in homes connected to the national grid.
The Outback converter comes with more power storage in order to last longer as it’s used. It also works with generators that have low power output so as to provide extended usage for days by reducing the generator’s fuel consumption.
With women at the helm of service, clean energy is protecting quality of life by cheaper means in rural Kenya. Masai women feel empowered and resilient as contributing members of a gender-biased society. They are breaking multiple barriers based on gender and location, using GEA’s innovative tactic.
– Katie Groe
Sources: ONE, Reuters, Green Energy Africa, Anonhq, Sunny Money
Photo: Flickr