Visit to Renewable Energy Training Centre, Cameroun

Leaving Douala for Bangang village, where ACREST is located


Dr. Vincent Kitio, Founder of ACREST


A solar lantern made by ACREST


ACREST provides its own power through a small hydro/wind station built by its staff


At Djoubé, on the way to Bangang: fresh fruit and food everywhere - consumed, sold and for export

More pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.190395101017721.45314.100001416964107&l=165b1fc0b8&type=1

ACREST is a Renewable Energy training centre located in [very cold and mountainous] Bangang village, approximately 350 km from Douala (Cameroun, West Africa). It took us 10 hours to get to Bangang (normally 5-6hours) because of the gnarling traffic jam in Douala. I made the trip with Dr. Vincent Kitio, founder of ACREST and Chief of Energy at UN Habitat.

The centre trains rural people to assemble, fabricate and maintain renewable energy appliances, which range from wind, solar, and bio-fuels to hydro. After training, even semi-literate men and women are able to distinguish the different electronic components of a solar system, for example + detect and replace faulty parts, and build an appliance from the ground up.

It was a pleasant surprise to learn that ACREST generates its own electricity (for its living quarters and training centre) from a small hydro-power station. It was even more exciting to find a range of locally made products, from solar lanterns to solar cookers, solar food driers, fireless stoves, bio-sand water filters, bio-gas plants (coverting waste to energy), wind turbines, wind pumps, and water purification devices and hydro - all proudly AFRICAN, and something Solar Jooce aims to replicate in Nigeria.

Power to rural people...

Solar-for-the-Masses | Dustbin Estate, Part II

Our second trip to Dustbin Estate in Ajegunle area of Lagos state (Nigeria) sw us donating a solar kit+phone charger to the homes of two very brilliant children, Emmanuel & Solomon.

Emmanuel always comes first in class and wants to be a lawyer. Solomon is a voracious reader and wants to be a doctor. Both children were so excited to have light that will enable them read at night and also do their homework - without strainig their eyes or making their parents buy kerosene to light up lanterns.



Solar jooce volunteer engineer, David Osokolo lights up Emmanuel's home, while Solomon (R) assists




The front of Solomon's house


Solomon's home all lit up. He gets the advanced solar kit with two light bulbs+phone charger

More pictures - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.183456055044959.44015.100001416964107&l=5761913a87

Solar-for-the-Masses: Dustbin Estate, Ajegunle [Lagos, Nigeria]

(L-R): Anne Agbakoba (Solar Jooce); and Tolulope Sangosanya (Project LOTS)


Dustbin Estate, Ajegunle


Tolu & Anne with midwife Madam Ogene Eze Mmili (2nd Left); Abiodun Ganiyu (our guide); and the baby delivered by the midwife. On the table is the kerosene lantern used by the midwife to deliver babies after dark


Solar Jooce volunteer engineer, Ekundayo Ojo sets up our donated solar unit atop the midwife's roof while news station NN24 films


Ekundayo shows the midwife, Madam Ogene Eze Mmili, how to work the solar unit and its phone charging function

Tolulope Sangosanya, Director of Project LOTS, has her modern-look office right inside the Dustbin Estate (Awodiora Community, Ajerunmi local government area of Ajegunle). There, she provides free after school lessons to the children of Ajegunle.

For the record, Dustbin Estate is an area filled with, and built on, trash. Tolu caught Solar Jooce's attention last year when she won the Future Awards (Nigeria) and brought the Dustbin estate to prominence.

Solar Jooce teamed up with Tolu on Thursday, June 23, 2011 and under her expert guidance we identified the most suitable recipients for our solar light/phone charging units.

The most intriguing recipient was Madam Ogene Eze Mmili who is:
1. a midwife. She delivers children within and outside the community. We were introduced to one of her patients who had just had twins)
2. a bone healer (she sets broken bones) and
3. a spiritualist. She says she eliminates the spirits of 'ogbanje' or 'abiku' - repetitive cases within a family of children who are born but do not stay long in this world. We caught a glimpse of her shrine but were not allowed to photograph it.

At the end of the solar install in her one bedroom where she sleeps and tends to maternity patients, Ogene Eze Mmilli broke into song and dance. She prayed endlessly for Tolu & team Solar Jooce, saying we had saved her the painful expense of having to buy kerosene for her lantern; we had given her reliable and enhanced lighting that will enable safe delivery of babies; and given her a phone charger to boot so she can charge/use her phone even when electricity is cut for days/weeks on end as is the case.

This entire visit was quite emotional but worth every second.

On the team were volunteer solar engineers:
1. Ekundayo Ojo - who came in all the way from Ilorin, Kwara state just to live this experience
2. David Osokolo - with an eagle eye for detail

The RCCG (Abundant Grace Parish, Port Harcourt), headed by Engr. Nosyke Okoye sponsored four of the lights for this project.

Powering West Africa | African News and Current Affairs Analysis ...

A UK publication, New Africa Analysis, has written a feature on Solar Jooce titled Powering West Africa

http://newafricaanalysis.co.uk/index.php/2011/04/powering-west-africa

Ambassador Dozie Nwanna's Speech @ Solar Jooce Fundraising

(L-R): Ag. Nigeria High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Dozie Nwanna (OON); Anne Agbakoba(Managing Partner, Solar Jooce)

Weeks after, the Solar Jooce 70s Dinner-Dance & Fundraising (held on May 07, 2011 at the Chelsea Old Town Hall in London) continues to attract support for the work of team Solar Jooce across rural Nigeria.

We couldn't have succeeded without super support from the Ag. Nigeria High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency, Ambassador Dozie Nwanna and his team.

First, the High Commission encouraged Solar Jooce's fundraising mission by purchasing the largest number of tickets (20 units) for the evening.

Then, on the day, Amb. Nwanna made an engaging speech, giving first-hand account of how kerosene hurt his eyes as a child - and confirming that solar was definitely the perfect replacement for dirty, expensive and harmful fossil fuels such as kerosene. He secured a few solar converts for Solar Jooce after his speech.

[Read Ambassador Dozie Nwanna's Speech here: www.scribd.com/doc/56401780]

The High Commission team also made the auction exciting, ensuring they outbidded everyone in the hall for one of the silk haute couture dresses donated by renown designer, NKWO. The dress fetched a princely £425! Ambassador Nwanna drew a round of applause when he instructed that the dress be donated back to Solar Jooce for the brilliant work it was doing.

A huge thanks also goes to guests who fell into several categories - University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN); OLD Girls| Queen's College, Lagos-Nigeria (OGQC); ex-colleagues from Fidelity Bank, Nigeria; relatives, and solar enthusiasts.

Expert pictures by Ade Sulaiman - Solar Jooce Dinner-Dance & Fundraising

You are invited to view Ade Sulaiman's detailed photo album:
Solar Jooce!! 9 May 2011
by Ade Sulaiman

[Copy and paste link]

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=orotique&target=ALBUM&id=5604813111773042673&authkey=Gv1sRgCIaKxvq5hN2G-wE&invite=CMru2Tc&feat=email

Mission Accomplished - Successful Fundraising

The Solar Jooce 70s Dinner-Dance & Fudraising was held at the Chelsea Old Town Hall in London and it was a good show.

The two couture dresses alone (donated by renown designer, NKWO), raised £650! And the pledges that followed will ensure that Solar Jooce's next trip across a few states in Nigeria can now happen, with a total of 124 sponsored solar appliances to donate to rural communities.

Here are a few pictures from the event, with more to follow: