Most of simple and poor families in Africa don’t have access to electricity facilities. This is the same issue with the village where Fr. Vincent DePaul grew up. Most of the villagers still use kerosene lamps to lighten their homes at night. This is because electricity is not everywhere and even in place where it is, many families cannot afford the costs of electricity installation and monthly subscriptions. This also affects learning institutions where students go without night studies due to unreliable hydroelectric power.
This makes students use candles at night that have cause many fire accidents in school leading to deaths. It’s common that hydroelectric power always goes off for hours and even for days. This situation inspired Fr. to start a solar off grid project that can substitute the use of kerosene and candlelight that is risky and dangerous to human health especially to young children and old people.
Fr. DePaul thought of helping them with good lighting systems that was more reliable. And so, he offered to give some poor families a small off grid solar systems at a non-cost for the first phase. Later the project was redesigned to continue, but with some participation of the beneficiaries where they could pay in instalments and have the system connected to them first. This method of installation was then extended not to only families, but also to other learning institutions where they could pay in bits until they finish the whole cost.
This has helped many families and institutions to acquire solar systems at affordable prices.
Institutions that have benefited from solar system include; Ibanda Catholic Parish church, Nyabuhikye parish catholic church, Nyabuhikye Secondary School, St. Mark’s Nursing school and Kagamba vocational school in Isingiro.
The solar systems in the above institutions is not only used for lighting but also used on computers and other electronic devices.
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