Mt. Elgon Self-Help Community Project
by Wakhungu
The Mt Elgon solar and windmill project was launched in October 2009. The aim of this project is to provide alternative sources of energy to our people. At present, 99.9% of our people depend on firewood for cooking and this has had far-reaching negative effects on the environment. What’s more, there is no electricity and therefore no lighting in the vast majority of homes here. Now we are building our own solar panels which will provide energy for small solar lamps and cookers. This will bring light to our community. It will also enable us to use water pumps to assist us to cultivate our crops. This will mean we do not lose our crops in drought and it will prevent famine. By using solar power for cooking we will also reduce emissions into the atmosphere. And the project will provide jobs for young people creating the panels. The next step will be to build windmills so that we can harness the power of the wind. This is very significant to us. Our people have always been at the mercy of the heat of the sun and the power of the winds. Often the winds have destroyed our crops and blown the roofs off our houses. And sometimes we have wilted under the heat of the sun. Now, however, when it is too hot we will know that this heat will bring us light in the darkness. And when the winds are blowing, we will know they are bringing us power. Acknowledging achievements The most powerful thing we can do is to enable people to do things themselves and then acknowledge their achievements. When the solar project was launched, we gathered all the members of the school community. We also gathered a range of international guests and distinguished speakers from the region. The media was also there. The first solar panel was assembled by young people from Mt Elgon. It is their achievement. And so, we created a ritual of acknowledgement to celebrate this. There were songs and speeches. We acknowledge the achievements of our young people. They may not have had shoes, enough clothes, and books to use at school, at times they may have gone without food, but they persisted through adversity to go on to higher institutions of learning and now they have done something that no-one else has done in our community. They have made our first solar panels. They have assembled these themselves. Over so many generations, our people have struggled to protect their crops from the heat of the sun and the strength of the winds. Their sacrifice has not been in vain. Now the dreams of our ancestors have come true. The hard work of our young people has made it possible for us to harness the heat of the sun. We acknowledge the achievements of our young people. It may have not been so easy for them along the way, but we are so happy that they raised their heads above the clouds. |
