SAVING LIVES THROUGH SOLAR ENERGY

KENYA

PROGRESS REPORT I

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY More than a fifth of the world’s population has no access to electricity and for a billion people the supply is unreliable and intermittent. Of the people without electricity, 85% live in rural areas. Most of the Compassion-supported caregivers have no access to electricity and therefore their families use kerosene to light their homes. Black carbon produced from incomplete combustion of fossil fuel (kerosene) is hazardous to both humans and the environment. As the use of these kerosene lamps continues, indoor pollution remains, and this is the leading cause of respiratory problems in children. Providing solar lamps to the affected households will go a long way in helping the Compassion-supported families in Kenya. These lamps are easy to install, and the LED provides high quality illumination. There are no maintenance costs required therefore this is a one-time investment with a long-lasting impact. Additionally, the lamps can charge appliances, such as mobile phones, and this will result in the caregivers saving time and money which was previously spent on looking and paying for charging booths.

ACTIVITY REPORT INTERVENTION Saving lives through solar energy LOCATION Kenya RESPOND NUMBER KE-173480 BENEFICIARIES 1,500 Compassion-supported babies FUNDING £92,333 The aim of the intervention has been to provide solar lights to child survival caregivers in rural areas of Kenya. The long-term benefits of this intervention are an improvement in health due to the reduction of air pollution from kerosene lamps and a reduction in lighting related expenses. Initially the intervention was meant to impact 1,500 people, however, due to negotiations with the vendor which led to a reduced price per solar lamp, the impact will now reach 1,633 people at 57 Compassion centres. Compassion Kenya carried out the solar kit supplier procurement process and facilitated the distribution of the kits to the targeted caregivers. Eight vendors applied to supply the solar lamps. The application process included submission of quotations by vendors, shortlisting, and a product presentation by the vendors to Compassion Kenya’s vendor vetting panel that comprised of the business service team and a representative from the national leadership team. The vendor selection process ended in October 2017 and after a thorough analysis d.light Kenya was chosen.

One of the caregivers in the centre's office after receiving her solar lamp.

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Following from the community survey conducted to capture data such as number of people per centre in need of lighting and their current home lighting conditions, 83% of the child survival households used kerosene for lighting, 9% were using electricity, 1% used batteries and 6% used solar energy. The results helped identify the number of solar lamps needed at each centre. It was noted that those using kerosene were spending the equivalent of £5 a month on lighting while those using electricity were spending £4 in households where the average monthly income is £20. Solar lamps were distributed in November. They were dispatched to various collection points within the country where the centres collected them and distributed them to the beneficiaries. The main challenge experienced during the intervention was offering training to the caregivers during the distribution process. There was a heated political environment at the time of distribution and this made it risky to assemble people together for training because of security reasons. However, all the centres were given a training pack which was simplified to ensure everyone understood the basic solar lamp installation process as well as the benefits of solar lighting to the household and the environment. Additionally, the contact details for d. light were distributed to all the centres to ensure personalised support was given. The product purchased was the d. light D330 model. The product comes with one tube light, two bulbs and a mobile phone charging unit. The product can light three rooms simultaneously like an electrically powered house.

The d. light D330 model.

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ACK Good Shepard Isinya caregivers after receiving their solar lamps (above). One of the caregivers after receiving her solar lamps (below).

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A child development worker shows caregivers at AIC Kilgoris Church Child Development Centre how to install the solar lamps (above). A child development worker showing caregivers how to

use their solar lamps (below).

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ACK Nyagoko Child Development Centre caregivers after receiving their solar lamps (above). AIC Kilgoris Church Child Development Centre caregivers in front of their centre after receiving their

solar lamps (below).

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A centre staff member is at a caregiver’s home testing the installed solar lamps (above). A centre staff member (man holding solar lamp battery), is at a caregiver's house to ensure lamps

were installed correctly (below).

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Caregivers after receiving their solar lamps.

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BUDGET

ITEM FUNDS RECEIVED BY THE

CENTRE* AMOUNT SPENT SO

FAR FUNDS REMAINING

1,633 Solar lights £72,047 £71,263 £785

Transportation of 4,500 kgs of lamps

£963 £1,542 -£579

Monitoring, evaluating and reporting

£856 - £856

Administration £18,466 £18,201 £265

TOTAL £92,332 £91,006 £1,326

As this intervention is ongoing, £1,326 of the funds remain to be spent.

FINAL REMARKS Thank you, for your contribution towards this intervention. As you can see, families have already started using the solar lamps and the 83% that was affected by air pollution due to using kerosene lighting are no longer experiencing health issues. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Darren Allwright on 01932 836 497 or at DarrenA@compassionuk.org.

COMPASSION UK CHRISTIAN CHILD DEVELOPMENT 43 High Street, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8BB t. 01932836490 e. info@compassionuk.org Registered charity in England and Wales (1077216) and Scotland (SC045056) Registered in England No: 03719092