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Solar Power! Project
Mothers
and
Grandmothers
Trained to be Solar Electrical Engineers
Marième Bamba’s community, the village of Soudiane in rural Senegal, isn't connected to the Senegalese national electricity grid. Unfortunately, the village of Soudiane is not alone. In areas south of the Sahara, as few as 2% of villages have access to electricity. This stands as a major obstacle not only for daily life, but also for the development of these communities.
The Tostan Solar Power! Project, launched in 2009 in collaboration with the
Barefoot College
in
India, aims to address this issue by empowering rural communities across Africa to provide low-cost and sustainable electricity for themselves.
Through the Solar Power! Project, Tostan sponsors women from rural Africa to attend the Barefoot College in India, where they complete a
six-month training program
in solar electrical engineering. The training is comprehensive, providing participants with the knowledge and skills to install, maintain and repair solar panels.
Back in their home villages, each solar engineer installs one solar unit in at least 50 homes, providing each family with:
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one fixed lamp,
-
one bright solar lantern,
-
one LED flashlight,
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and one plug for charging mobile phones.
Each of the participants is then able to train women from neighboring rural communities in solar electrical engineering, spreading the impact of the program and providing each engineer with a means of income. For women like Doussou Konaté, who had worked for a low income farming millet and peanuts to support her family prior to her training, the opportunity to earn an income as a Solar Power Trainer is absolutely life-changing.
To read about the stories and experiences of community solar engineers and participating communities, check out the
Solar Power! Project posts
on Tostan’s Blog.
FEATURE ARTICLE: The Long Journey in Search of Light: the Solar Sisters' return home
FEATURE ARTICLE: Solar Sisters' Trip to the Airport
Innovative Project Taps Rural African Women as Solar Engineers
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