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| Frustrated Egoli residents marched to the site contractor's house on April 9, 2015 to demand that Buffalo City Metro send electricians to install their old meter boxes. Photo: Alan Eason. |
Electricity is something that most people, myself included, take for granted on a daily basis. Never mind charging electronics; let's talk about light. You get home and you flip on your light switch. It's so routine that you wouldn't think of the action as luxurious or extraordinary. But your perspective changes when you realize there are people in the world who don't have access to this basic utility.
After looking over the service projects - each meaningful in their own way - I felt particularly drawn to working with Egoli Electricity because it's a way in which I can attempt to make a small but tangible difference in one South African township.
Currently, Egoli Electricity - a small township-run business - provides electrical batteries to about one-fourth of the community. And by small, we're talking one woman.
The idea isn't that seven students are going to go in and light up this entire township just by visiting a couple of hours each week for a month. The purpose of a service learning project isn't to impose change on our agenda, but to work with members in the community to promote sustainable social entrepreneurship.
There's a lot of innovation when it comes to providing light in developing nations, so our project group is still thinking about what would be the best alternative to electrical batteries. So far, we've thought of seeing what residents in Egoli think of these ideas:
Currently, Egoli Electricity - a small township-run business - provides electrical batteries to about one-fourth of the community. And by small, we're talking one woman.
The idea isn't that seven students are going to go in and light up this entire township just by visiting a couple of hours each week for a month. The purpose of a service learning project isn't to impose change on our agenda, but to work with members in the community to promote sustainable social entrepreneurship.
There's a lot of innovation when it comes to providing light in developing nations, so our project group is still thinking about what would be the best alternative to electrical batteries. So far, we've thought of seeing what residents in Egoli think of these ideas:
- Liter of Light, a simple and eco-friendly way of providing a light source. The only materials needed would be a transparent 1.5 - 2 L plastic bottle, filled with water and a little bleach, fitted through the roof of a house. Properly installed bottles can last up the five years.
- Soccket, a soccer ball that acts as a portable energy source (30 minutes of play powers a simple LED light for 3 hours).
This article published a mere week ago explains how public health ties into this project: many residents without electricity have resorted to using paraffin stoves for light, which fill houses with fumes that cause respiratory issues such as asthma.
The wider context of the problem is that these houses were provided to the township residents through the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), a policy framework intended to address socioeconomic issues post-apartheid.
A story in the Daily Dispatch last year said that a national office grant would fund electricity for the new RDP houses, but the residents remain in dark limbo a year later.
In an ideal world, the solution would be for the government to provide the funds for long-lasting electricity. But for now, local entrepreneurship is taking matters into their own hands.
“They gave us beautiful new homes with white walls but now those walls are black from paraffin smoke.” - Michelle Classen
The wider context of the problem is that these houses were provided to the township residents through the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), a policy framework intended to address socioeconomic issues post-apartheid.
A story in the Daily Dispatch last year said that a national office grant would fund electricity for the new RDP houses, but the residents remain in dark limbo a year later.
In an ideal world, the solution would be for the government to provide the funds for long-lasting electricity. But for now, local entrepreneurship is taking matters into their own hands.
I'm excited to be working with you on our service project :)
ReplyDeleteYour post touches on two important reasons why we are helping Egoli Electronics. Public health is vitally important, and some sources of energy/light can incur many preventable healthcare costs. Also, in an area where governmental support can't be counted on, local entrepreneurs may be the solution to many communities' problems.