Earlier this month, two of my colleagues from Kiva HQ in San Francisco visited me in Phnom Penh as a part of their annual Kiva Staff Partner visit. The purpose of the Kiva Staff Partner visits is to allow...
Continue Reading >>Stories tagged with Solar
Apr 4, 2016
Senegal
Imagine for a moment that you live in a village with no electricity. When the sun goes down each evening, you rely on the light of fires or flashlights as you cook your evening meal. Your children must study before the sun goes down, or else use the dimly glowing light of a cell phone to illuminate their work. And speaking of cell phones, the only way to charge yours is to travel to a charging station in the nearest town, pay a fee, and wait while your battery replenishes.
Now imagine that you are suddenly offered an affordable, safe,...
Continue Reading >> Now imagine that you are suddenly offered an affordable, safe,...
May 5, 2015
Solomon Islands
According to a World Bank press release published in 2014, the Solomon Islands has one of the lowest rates of electricity access in the world and some of the highest electricity prices. In rural areas, where most of the population lives, only about 6% of households are connected to the electricity grid (World Bank, 2014).
I just spent the last four weeks of my Kiva Fellowship in the Solomon Islands working with Kiva’s field partner, South Pacific Business Development (SPBD), and observed this situation first-hand.
As I accompanied SPBD’s field officers on their... Continue Reading >>
I just spent the last four weeks of my Kiva Fellowship in the Solomon Islands working with Kiva’s field partner, South Pacific Business Development (SPBD), and observed this situation first-hand.
As I accompanied SPBD’s field officers on their... Continue Reading >>
Dec 12, 2014
Indonesia
Many warungs, or small family-owned shops, crowd the streets of Denpasar, Bali but one is sure to catch your attention. The bright yellow bamboo sign at Warung Bu Sinta reads, “Switch on Life” and the owner, Sumarti, waits outside, ready to explain what her “Tech Kiosk” warung is all about.
Sumarti’s warung is part of a network of “Tech Kiosks” whose owners use Kiva loans to purchase products from Kopernik, one of Kiva’s field partners. Kopernik connects... Continue Reading >>
Many warungs, or small family-owned shops, crowd the streets of Denpasar, Bali but one is sure to catch your attention. The bright yellow bamboo sign at Warung Bu Sinta reads, “Switch on Life” and the owner, Sumarti, waits outside, ready to explain what her “Tech Kiosk” warung is all about.
Sumarti’s warung is part of a network of “Tech Kiosks” whose owners use Kiva loans to purchase products from Kopernik, one of Kiva’s field partners. Kopernik connects... Continue Reading >>
Jun 6, 2014
Kenya
Over 4 million people die prematurely from illness attributed to the household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels. An estimated 25% of global CO2 emissions are generated by the rural poor – accounting for significantly more than all global transportation-related emissions combined. To address these problems, organizations such as EcoZoom, a Kiva Zip trustee in Kenya, bring clean-burning cookstoves (and other ecological products) to people in...
Aug 8, 2013
Nicaragua
During my fellowship in Nicaragua I had the pleasure of working with an exciting new Kiva partner named Tecnosol. Tecnosol is the Central American leader in the sale and installation of decentralized renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, hydro, and biogas.
Mural outside Tecnosol's office in Managua, Nicaragua
There is a high demand for renewable energy products in Nicaragua, especially among remote populations that are unreached by the country’s electric infrastructure. Despite the need, however, Nicaragua’s vast... Continue Reading >>
Mural outside Tecnosol's office in Managua, Nicaragua
There is a high demand for renewable energy products in Nicaragua, especially among remote populations that are unreached by the country’s electric infrastructure. Despite the need, however, Nicaragua’s vast... Continue Reading >>
Jul 7, 2013
Kenya
Kenneth holds up his kerosene lantern and proudly says, “I won’t need this one anymore!” He wipes the dust off the table and asks us to sit down. We follow his offer and start listening to his story....
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May 5, 2013
Uganda
The most compelling benefit of microfinance and the reason I was drawn to the Kiva fellowship is its potential to empower the most vulnerable people around the world, particularly women. It’s no secret that women have the greatest impact on their families and their well-being, especially when they have more control over household finances. Across most of the developing world, this is not the case but organizations that work to reach women in these countries are helping to change that. Solar Sister is one such organization based in Kampala, Uganda.
Approximately... Continue Reading >>
Approximately... Continue Reading >>
Mar 3, 2013
Global Update
I met Eunice due to an emergency Kiva Fellows situation -- Liz, our incredibly talented media fellow needed to film a bee hive inspection at night, and we had no lights. Luckily, I noticed a ‘Solar Solutions’ shop across the street, we ran over to see what we could find. After a few...
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Feb 2, 2013
Nicaragua
For a moment, think about what you do in a normal, everyday, 24-hour time period. Take a second; no rush.
Got it? Now imagine it without electricity.
I’m guessing a significant portion of your everyday activities would suddenly become impossible, extremely less efficient, or flat-out uncomfortable. Sure, you could probably go without some of the not-so-necessary first... Continue Reading >>
For a moment, think about what you do in a normal, everyday, 24-hour time period. Take a second; no rush.
Got it? Now imagine it without electricity.
I’m guessing a significant portion of your everyday activities would suddenly become impossible, extremely less efficient, or flat-out uncomfortable. Sure, you could probably go without some of the not-so-necessary first... Continue Reading >>