RWANDA

Country of a Thousand Hills

STATISTICS ABOUT RWANDA: 2014

• GDP (current US$): $7.890 billion

• Population Total: 12.10 million

• GDP per capita (current US$): $652.1

• Population density (people per sq. km of land area): 477

• 2011 Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population): 63.0

• Main Economic Activity: About 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence)

agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing. Tourism, minerals, coffee and tea are

Rwanda's main sources of foreign exchange.

• Population Age Distribution: - 43% under 15 years; 54.5% 15 – 64; 2.5% over 64

• Energy use in 2013: 85% biomass; 11% petroleum; 4%

electricityhttp://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-

Operations/Rwanda_-_Energy_Sector_Review_and_Action_Plan.pdf (African Development

Bank, 2013)

Source: 2014 World Bank Survey, http://data.worldbank.org/country/rwanda

KARAMBI, BUGESERA DISTRICT,

EASTERN PROVINCE, RWANDA

Village Statistics:

• 110 houses

• Highly marginalised village

• Socio-economic and resource deprivation

• High disease burden

• Genocide was devastating

• Neglected

• Close to Nyamata, 1 hour to Kigali

• Many women-headed households

• Dependant before on paraffin for light;

charcoal used for cooking

• Chosen by RUGO, in collaboration with

Rwanda Women’s Network, to be pilot

village for Barefoot Solar Project

SOLAR + BAREFOOT COLLEGE

– IMPACT IN KARAMBI

A small village devastated by the genocide in 1994, dominated by vulnerable households with few economic opportunities.

Solar project, funded by RUGO, puts electricity into every home –two fixed lights, a chargeable lantern and a mobile phone charger.

Barefoot College training cultivated ownership and self-esteem

Health and economic improvements

Rwanda United Kingdom Goodwill Organisation is devoted to the advancement of education and training of the people of Rwandaand the relief of poverty and distress through the provision of support for community based projects, designed to improve the conditions of those in necessitous circumstances.

Karambi Solar Energy

Grannies Project

KARAMBI VILLAGE

Rwandan rural village with 110 Houses &no electricity

Half of the Villagers are widows of thegenocide, the other half are vulnerablepeople including child headed households

It is dark from 6pm to 6am every day : A few people own Kerosene lamps but they

are expensive & dangerous Lights would allow adults to work in the

evening - developing the local economy

Lights would allow study at night hugelyimproving educational standards

Going out in the evening is difficult &dangerous

Family and village life would be greatlyimproved

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE

PROJECT?• Solar panel on roof

• Solar-powered light

• Solar-powered portable lantern

• Solar-powered charging point for a mobile phone

• A Village Workshop

• All installation work by Solar Grannies

WHO ARE THE PARTNERS?

Pioneers of solar electrificationin poor, rural, remote & non-electrified villages, since 1989

Enabling the meeting of basicneeds for survivors of sexualand gender-based violence; recognizing that women andchildren bore the brunt of thegenocide

HOW MUCH DID IT COST?

RUGO through fund raising in UK raised funds for Workshop andEquipment for 110 houses.

Indian Govt. paid for travel, accommodation & training atBarefoot College

Surveying was done as a donation by ESRI Rwanda Ltd.

On-going costs are paid for byvillagers from savings of‘Kerosene costs’

HOW DID IT WORK? The Grannies are selected by

Village Community following

Barefoot College guidelines

Training of the Grannies took

place at Barefoot College in

India for 6 months

A Workshop was built and

when the Equipment arrived,

the Grannies installed the

solar panels and equipment

Villagers now pay the

Grannies for maintenance

and any equipment renewal.

HOW IT HAPPENEDFour “Grannies” Claudine(48), Cecile(48),

Odette(50) and Dative(49) were selected by

the Village Community, using Barefoot

College Guidelines

HOW IT HAPPENED

Karambi Village wassurveyed and the equipmentspecified andordered

HOW IT HAPPENED

The “Solar Grannies” left for Barefoot College in

Tilonia, Northern India on 21st March 2011

The Grannies spent 6 months being trained

returning in October 2011

HOW IT HAPPENED

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe Equipment arrived in Rwanda in September

2013 and was stored nearby in Nyamata

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Workshop for Assembly and Maintenance

was built but was delayed with bad weather......

HOW IT HAPPENED

..... So, while

waiting, a

pilot exercise

was

undertaken

to install 2

houses in

Karambi

HOW IT HAPPENED

The

remaining

108 Houses

were

completed in

November

2013

SOME PHOTOS FROM KARAMBI

VISIT BY RUGO UK MEMBERS IN JANUARY 2014

The Solar Grannies and Villagers welcomed

RUGO and proudly showed their work!!

WHAT NEXT FOR KARAMBI?

Day to day management and maintenance of the equipmentis undertaken by the "solargrannies" using the purpose built workshop.

The ladies are paid a monthlysum by each household, funded by the savings in kerosene,making the project totallysustainable.

The “solar grannies” want toteach other ladies in Rwandanvillages to install and maintainsolar power for their villages

WHAT NEXT FOR RUGO?

We believe that this project has been a

success and we intend to use this as a

template for future initiatives;

RUGO has already identified twofurther similar villages in Rwandawithout electricity;

Utilise the “solar grannies” and the workshop to train other ladies in thosevillages to install and maintain solarpower for their villages;

This means raising funds for equipment

for 2 villages.