More Work Looms...

Adaeze & Gabby Paintin

Dr. Adaeze [Eronini] Paintin – originally from Imo state (South Eastern Nigeria) – is a British citizen, and works as a gynaecologist. She is married to Gabby, an engineer who spent his early years in Ghana before relocating to the UK.

Adaeze & Gabby continue to support our work, and have just sponsored five solar hanging lights to be set up in a rural area in Nigeria. One of the target recipients of their donation will be primary healthcare centres, following Adaeze’s natural concern for infant/maternal wellness before, during, and after childbearing.

In the next few weeks, Adaeze & Gabby's donation will be matched to some of the requests we have received from state governments for basic solar lighting in rural communities. During their next trip to Nigeria, this generous couple will get to meet members of the community that have benefitted from their gift.

Adaeze has had a long history of supporting charitable causes, having run several 5k races in the UK (with Gabby cheering on) in support of cancer research. Gabby is passionate about social causes.

Watch this space for pictures from 'Paintin-sponsored' solar light installations.

August 08, 2010 - David's Report on Gulmin Boka

We finally got a report from David Osokolo (volunteer solar engineer) about the solar installation at the Bible Training School (Gulmin Boka, Niger state). In his prior email, David reported that the solar installation has become a tourist attraction of sorts, considering that Gulmin Boks & its environs have no electricity. His most recent email email reads:

"Dear Anne, thank you so much for the opportunity [to work with the people at Gulmin Boka]. The installation was a complete success. The people, especially the principal and Rev. Japhet, are so thankful."

Below is a full report from David.

SJ Installation - Gulmin Boka, Niger State

Feedback from Solar Lamp Recipients

James Yisa, our local guide across 9 states during our 36-state road expedition, gives feedback about the impact of Solar Jooce solar lamps to a benficiary community

James Yisa is the hardworking owner of an NGO (Centre for Health & Development in Africa) and was our decdicated Northern guide during Solar Jooce's 36-state Solar for the Masses expedition. He sent in the email below, reporting on the impact our solar lamp donation was making on a particular recipient community (Danchitagi village in Niger state):

"We were at Danchitagi community last week, and the solar lamp donated by Solar Jooce is really making a remarkable impact on the lives of the community members."

Here is an axcerpt of James' report:
The Community Health extension worker (CHEW) of Danchitagi Primary Healthcare Centre noted that the [solar] lamp has not only made their work easy but has also increased patronage and quality of services at the health facility compared with when they had to rely on touch light and hurricane lamp. He added that the lamp has also saved the cost of having to buy kerosene.

The lamp which has become a thing of wonder to some while others call it a magical lamp has not failed to attract the attention of the community members.

[The CHEW] noted that a number facility staff working in health facilities within the neighboring communities like Ebangi, Gbade, Jima, Sausa and Edobaba who have had or seen the lamp have expressed their delight and would appreciate if Solar Jooce could extend the kind gesture to their own health facilities.

To read the entire report, please click on the link below:
Solar Jooce: Solar Lamp Recipient Report (Danchitagi Primary Healthcare Centre, Niger state, Nigeria)

July 31, 2010 - Mission Accomplished (Gulmin Boka)

May 26, 2010 - Solar Jooce's first visit to Niger state [location: Danchitagi village, Lawun Local Govt. Area]. Anne and Dave Agbakoba interact with warmly welcoming villagers

"Jooced up, running, happy people, I'm off". This was the text message we received at 5.52pm from our volunteer Solar Engineer, David Osokolo, to confirm that solar lighting at the Bible Training College (Gulmin Boka, Niger state) was up and running!

The students are reportedly excited to move away from darkness to a future of uninterrupted light. Having partially invested in the newly installed 60W solar panel, we are sure the Training School will see to the kit's longevity.

We will upload pictures and stories as soon as David recovers from the over 28-hour return trip to Gulmin Boka (from Lagos state) by road.

July 24, 2010 - Another Assignment on the Horizon

Solar Jooce's highly skilled and tireless volunteer Solar Engineer, David Osokolo, gets ready to set off for Gulmin Boka in Niger state where he will set up solar panels to illuminate the village's Bible Training School

Since the completion of our 36-state tour, we've had requests coming in from rural Nigeria for solar lighting assistance.

After reviewing a few well thought-out applications, we settled for a last-minute submission from the Bible Training School at Gulmin Boka village (near Kotangora, Niger state). Their request articulated a simple but urgent need, with an intention to contribute a small amount towards ownership of a solar lighting solution.

A major problem faced by the students of the School is the absence of power to provide light to read/study at night.

Reverend Linus Timawus, who co-ordinates developmental projects in the area, had earlier on sensitised the School about the need to take their development into their own hands. He was therefore happy to mobilise the School and a few other entities to make a financial contribution towards owning our solar kit donation (the solar kit was purchased 100% by Solar Jooce). The contribution of the Bible Training School would be 10% of the cost of the solar kit, and a token fee for installation by our volunteer Solar Engineer, Mr. David Osokolo.

The School will be benefitting from the solar kit that Imope village in Lagos state had failed to take advantage of.

Watch this space. In about 7 days, the project will have been completed and we will hopefully have pictures and stories of a life-changing/developmental experience to share...

June 28, 2010: Lagos state (Imope village, Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA)

Today, we undertook a 170km trip to Imope village in Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA of Lagos state. The objective was to install a free solar panel (courtesy of Solar Jooce) in the village, on the condition that it would be the backbone of an income generating micro-business: garri-processing, palm oil processing etc. This community was recommended by the Rural Development Ministry of Lagos state, and two of its officers accompanied us to Imope.

Bam! It turned out to be the MOST challenging journey since Solar Jooce was set up. First, there are only 2 ways to get to this village - via a canoe or walking on a wooden foothpath supported by stilts over water.

The solar panels and heavy duty battery went via canoe, while we took the other route, drove some distance by car and proceeded to walk atop a very long wooden foot path. Mid way walking, part of the shaky bridge broke and three of us found ourselves ankle-deep in water. Luckily we had fallen in a shallow water area. My word, while our local guides traversed this 'bridge' with relative ease (they instinctively knew where the wooden planks had weakened and so avoided those areas), we sweated buckets while envisioning falling headlong into reptile infested waters.

With great relief, we proudly crossed the bridge, both ways, in one piece. It was an invaluable experience.

At Imope, we discovered that the village of 500 inhabitants already had a generator donated to them by the Lagos state government, which they claimed not to use because they could not afford diesel. We asked why they couldn't pool kerosene expenses and apply it to purchasing diesel and they drew a blank.

It was clear that this community hadn't gotten into a productive frame of mind, and simply wanted to be spoon-fed by "Government" or any other willing donor.

It also reinforced our belief that, for a community to inculcate an ownership approach to any project, the solution was definitely not to give them handouts, but to get them to be a partial investor. With their monies invested, no matter how small, they are 110% likely to make the project succeed.

And so, we hoisted our solar panel once more onto the canoe to transport it back to dry land, while we trudged back across the delicately wobbling bridge to catch up with the solar appliance that would arrive at the other side (sea bank).

For Lagos state government, it was back to the drawing board to determine the most appropriate beneficiary for our solar panel donation. Our uncompromising brief is to select a micro-business (or group of micro-businesses), that would make a small contribution towards owning the solar kit, and for whom the kit would be life-changing.

June 25, 2010: HERTZ renews commitment to Solar Jooce

At the end of our 36-state, 17-day expedition across rural areas of Nigeria, many people asked "what next". Good question.

In conjunction with the Lagos state government (on Monday, June 28, 2010), we will be visiting a rural community in the state (Imope village in Ikosi-Ejirin local Council development Area) which has no light at all. We will have 3 objectives:

a) Determine what the solar needs of this 500-strong community are
b) Provide a solar panel that will power an income generating activity or a social service.
c) Select a couple of women who we will train as the solar panel is being installed. At the end of the project, the women will become the 'Community Solar Troubleshooters' who will fix any problems associated with the panels, or commmunicate the problems intelligently to our expert Rural Women Trainer.

Today, HERTZ Country Manager, Christian Chigbundu (pictured above), confirmed HERTZ' commitment to supporting our work long term. The company will be providing the transport to Imope village, and all other subsequent communities we will be working with nationwide. We are most appreciative of this partnership...