SolAfrica
>> Solar lamp to replace toxic kerosene lamps in African slums<<
Project Type:
industrial/product design
Project Mission/Goal:
improve the human spirit
respond to our growing need for clean water, power, shelter, healthcare, education.
Project Description:
This is an innovative youth project for the production and sales of solar portable lamps in Kenya for people with low income. Starting with Kibera slum in Nairobi and for photo¬voltaic (PV) learning purposes in Switzerland..
Purposes
• To promote solar portable lamps for daily use in Kibera creating jobs for young people.
• To replace the inappropriate kerosene lamps
(bad light, toxic smokes, risk of fire)
• Having a good product for learning purposes in Switzerland. To teach students how solar electricity works and to enable them to get a feeling for (renewable) energies.
Pilot project (till end of 2009)
Since August 2009 the pilot project is under way where 1500 solar portable lamps are being assembled in Kibera. Some will be sold to the local people especially the low-income earners and a part are imported back and sold as fair-trade products.
Partners
• Kibera community youth programme is a youth organization in Kenya. Already they make solar mobile phone chargers and mini solar panels for radios. Won Clear Energy World Award in 2007.
• Megasol is a Swiss solar technology company who invented the self-assembling lamp. They have more than 10 years experience in solar business.
• Greenpeace Youth Support Center promotes through the international youth project Solar Generation solar-energy as a solution to climate change.
Kibera is located in the outskirts of Nairobi and home to about one million poor people. It is the largest slum in Africa and people living there do not have access to electricity. Kerosene lamps are the main source of light, used to light up small one-roomed shacks. The streets are dark and dangerous at night given that there are no streetlights, especially for children. After 6 pm in the evening children have to stay in the house or risk being abused, raped or mugged.
With this initiative we would like to support the children living in Kibera to own solar lamps which they can use to do homework, use as a torch or to light toilets which are always situated outside residential houses. You can sponsor a child or a class with solar portable lamps.
The solar lamps will permit school children to do their homework at night and therefore being better at school.
More than 40% of people living in Kibera work as security officers. They use dry cells batteries of low quality and often need replacement every 2 weeks.
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http://solafrica.ch/
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Project Details:
Project Location: Kibera, Niarobi, Kenya
Date(s): XX to XX
Project Phase: In production
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Nominated by Jessica Scanlon
