By Doug Vilsack | Executive Director
Dear Friends,
You made it possible. This month, Elephant Energy will open our first Elephant Energy Shop in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, which will be stocked with over 1500 solar-powered lights, radios, and cell phone chargers purchased as a result of your donation during the Global Giving Green Challenge. This Elephant Energy Shop, managed by our new shopkeeper Annah Simbilu, will change the lives of thousands of Namibians who will no longer be forced to rely on candles, kerosene and other dirty fuels for light. Here is one LARGE example of how access to these revolutionary technologies will change lives:
Life Without Light:
“One night, I was guarding my fields with my husband. The children and a small dog were sleeping near the fire. The small dog barked once and we were afraid. We knew there was an elephant right there, but there was nothing we could do. We lighted the fire and beat the drums, but the elephant was coming towards our children. This time, the elephant ran away. We wish we had a torch to scare away the elephant in the night.” - Kopelo Manstah, Sabelo Village, Sobbe Conservancy, Namibia
Life With Light:
“I go help my neighbors when they call. I have to use the torch on my way to help them. They [Elephants] immediately get scared when I shine my torch.” - Davis Naloumangosianga, Wildlife Policeman in Mbata, Zambia
From October 12-21st, Global Giving is matching all donations to Elephant Energy and other participating organizations through the Give More, Get More Matching Campaign. Global Giving will add 30% more if you donate $10-$499, 40% more for $500-$999 donations and 50% more for $1,000-$2,500 donations. Elephant Energy is only $4,805 dollars from completing our fundraising for the initial phase of the Elephant Energy Shops Project. Matching funds will run out well before October 21st (maybe even on the first day), so please donate TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12th and help us reach our final goal!
Donate Here: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/promote-renewable-energy-shops-in-rural-namibia/
Look for another update soon about the grand opening of the Elephant Energy Shop and our Buy One Give One Holiday Sale, which will give you the chance to purchase one of our revolutionary solar lights during the holiday season and donate one to a rural entrepreneur in Namibia at the same time.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
