Educate Thousands of Girls with Year-Round Water

“LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!” – You turned on lights in the village of Kamsi!  Thank you! With your support to Community Building Group-West Africa (CBG-WA), the Primary School, in the village of Kamsi, composed of six (6) classes, received ten solar modules and an LED trunking system. The whole village and school - teachers, pupils, parents -are very excited by this gesture and thank all the donors for having thought of sending the first solar-powered light to the village of Kamsi, a village that has no infrastructure for electricity.

The CBG Give Water Give Life program is working with rural people to collect and store water during the rainy season in order to have water for domestic use and produce vegetable crops even in the dry season. Having water frees women and girls from spending too much time looking for water.  Girls can now attend school. Indeed, on January 10, it was a Saturday morning, when the CBG-WA team accompanied by engineers from the Bio-Solar Company reached Kamsi, where all the children flocked to admire with enthusiasm the solar equipment.

Then later in the month, measuring and assembly of solar kits for the electrification of thirty household compounds in Kamsi took place in three stages:

-Step 1: The Community Building Group West- Africa team made a field trip December 22, 2016 with ETS Company responsible for the installation of solar kits in the community. During this mission all thirty (30) compounds chosen by village elders were visited. Note there was only enough money for 30 kits so that thirty beneficiary families were selected based on the plurality of children and especially the number of girls enrolled in these families.  During the visit the team once again explained to the families the aim of the project: i.e. to help children in general and girls in particular to better study at night after housework is completed. While CBG-WA distributed the solar- kits, the engineer Mr Zongo Patrice determined the design for the best installation of the solar equipment in each household.

-Step 2: The solar kits were assembled by the company ETS. The components of a solar kit are: a solar panel; battery; controller; two LED bulbs; case to secure the battery module support; a switch; and cables. The solar kits in the households provide a total capacity of 60 solar lamps. These 60 lamps plus the 30 school lamps equal 90 solar lights for the village of Kamsi. The company ETS took about fourteen (14) days for the assembly work.

-Step3: CBG-WA and the company ETS undertook a mission on January 21, 2016 Kamsi for installing a solar kit in a village shop. 

A wonderful ceremony was held in Kamsi on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 with David Young, the Deputy Ambassador of the US Embassy to Burkina Faso, present to officially hand over the solar kits to families. It was a memorable day for the over 4,000 residents of Kamsi. The population expressed their delight with traditional dances, music, and acceptance speeches. Neighboring villages and government officials joined the fun. The electrification project from Community Building Group West Africa was welcomed by Mr. Young who stated: "community management program test solar kits" is the first of its kind to support the socio-educational development of girls in the village. ‘It is a true boost for education and development’.

Additional villages are also participating in the Give Water Give Life program and being educated about rainwater catchment basins and solar powered energy.  This February, Global Giving has an exclusive matching opportunity for renewable energy work that is being funded by the Global Village Energy Partnership.  The campaign runs from February 17 to March 7, 2016, and donations can receive a 50% match.  Please take a minute to participate at this connection:http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/leaderboards/renewable-energy-matching-2016/.

Your continued support is very needed and always appreciated.