This project will provide solar lights to subsistence farmers in Zeze village and beyond, enabling children to study after dark in a smokeless environment. Families will be able to spend the money they save on kerosene on more nutritious food for their children and to start small businesses as a route out of their current extreme poverty.
Zeze is a village of 9000 subsistence farmers living in extreme poverty, 40 km from mains electricity. Although solar lights are available in Tanzania, they are too expensive for the villagers. Therefore they rely on burning kerosene, when they can afford it, to have light after dark. This means often schoolchildren cannot study after dark, and when they do they get stinging eyes and coughs because of the kerosene smoke.
This project will buy solar lights in Kasulu, 40 km away, and transport them to Zeze. Families will be able to buy these lights on installment, paying the cost back over 6 months. All profits will be ploughed back into growing the scheme.
Having a solar light will have long term benefits on the whole family. Better health without kerosene smoke, improved education as children can read and study after dark, and families will be able to use the money they save on kerosene to grow more nutritious food for their children and start small businesses. We want to help 500 families in this way.
