A 5th grader student ranked 1st in her class as a direct impact of a solar project installed by Community Building Group.
As part of the monitoring and evaluation activities of the rural school’s electrification project, the regional team of the Community Building Group conducted a site visit on Wednesday, Jan 9, 2020. They met with the students, teachers and village leaders, and meantime encourages residents to take care of the solar power infrastructures. The team found that the solar equipment installed since 2016 is still in a very good condition and well maintained. Our team noted that 100% of the LED installed in the entire school is intact. The batteries are still good and can operate for 10 hours a day. The school teachers told us that they have not yet encountered any problem with the solar power system installed in the 6 classrooms.
The Director of the primary school in Kamsi said that” we definitely want to expand the system to be able to add more light and be able to use more devices, but we hope Community Building Group will help us to reach that goal in the future”. Community Building Group team thanks the bravery of the school staff devoted to their work despite the terrorist threat in the country.
The team discussed with parents too, we encourage them to keep supporting the students and mostly to give more time to young girls so they can study.
Rachidatou, a 5th grader student is ranked 1st in her class. She told us that "her household received a community shared solar LED light project installed by Community Building Group, and she started studying steadily every night, and her mom and dad were also happy because they have the solar LED light. From her own words, she said: My friends also come over at night so we can read and work together. Now, I finished reading the entire textbook, as we do not have many books in the village, I am reading again for a second time the same textbook. I can tell you without LED light in the house, nobody will bother to such effort of studying every night. " The Director of the school added that, when the solar project arrived here in the village, Rachidatou was in 2nd grade, now she ranked top in her class.”
Zenabou is also a 5th grader student, she said: “The day we don’t have school, we spend all our time in the irrigation vegetable garden helping our mom to manually exhaust water from the well that is 12 to 30meter depth. But now with the solar irrigation pump, we have more time to study. Because the solar energy makes it easy and it only takes an hour or less to supply water in the field. Community Building Group Team has also told our mom to let us study more every day. I want to be highly educated and be able to help my village one day.
Stay tune more yet to come!
Thank you for your donation and help in supporting these communities in a very remote rural area where there is no access to public utility services.
The school year 2019 -2020 has just begun. The team from Community Building Group Regional Office in Ouagadougou visited the primary schools in the villages of Kamsi and Djomga to inspect the solar energy system that provides power to both schools. Djomga is located farther north in the Sahel region near Dori, and Kamsi is at the Center West part near Koudougou. Both villages have no power supply, so solar energy off-grid is one of the most effective ways to provide electricity in these remote rural areas.
CBG team has also discussed with the school directory boards who have solicited to help them expand the solar system size with an additional 2 kilowatts in Kamsi, and 2.5 Kilowatt in Djomga. The current system size installed by Community Building Group can handle LED light, but not enough power to support Roof Fans in every single classroom and accommodate a video projector and other devices in the classroom.
This project has impacted significantly girls by supporting them in their education. About 30 households who received the solar LED kit from CBG open their door to allow neighbor kids to study at night time. Girls mostly were giving now time to study at nighttime. CBG has encouraged parents to allow their kids to study more, mostly after school, and the message was very well perceived.
We found that in Djomga despite the insecurity from the terrorist threats, the teachers are still making great efforts to provide education to the children. The schools are opened. Other villages at a few hundred kilometers from Djomga, the school are closed due to real insecurity threats. Even that, our local team is still on the ground working to help communities. Thank to your support and donations.
Mr. Zagré: "We thank all our donors from the bottom of our hearts because the solar energy off-grid system installed here has helped everyone, students, teachers, and even parents. We have managed to have a few fans, but not enough energy. If you can increase the system size to accommodate our need will be a game change opportunity. We are already happy having this solar light, as it improves our study and teaching conditions".
For Bibata, a student said: "I am very happy to be back on the road to school. With the solar electrification project of the Community Building Group to support our education, we girls from Kamsi school are now determined to study well, because we have been given consideration. I would like to become an English teacher later. "
We thank all donors and everyone for their involvement and multiple supports.
Your support is making a big difference!
Stay tuned!
After the end of this academic school year, Community Building Group regional office in West Africa worked tediously in the village of Kamsi and Djomga with student parents and teachers in order to continue providing support for girl’s education. We have conducted several field missions to discuss with the communities to encourage them to support girls such as reading more during the summer vacation.
We met with the director of the school of Kamsi, Djiguimdé, who reported that “he was very proud and honored to have solar electricity in his school, which in turn helped students to be at the top rank within the district. The school has done a great job with 91.43% of students admitted to the Certificate of Primary Education Exam (CEB).”
Kamsi is ranked 2nd in the Ramongo district for the CEB. In addition, the school also won the CEB's best student award and best teacher award.
Community Building Group team have visited couples of households in Kamsi. The team met with Martine and Evelyne, they both are a student admitted to the Certificate of Primary Study Exam. According to Martine, she said that we have no idea how the Community Building Group solar education project has transformed her life here. I mostly spend time after school to read and do homework, and my mom let me study. Because, people from the community building group and our teachers told to my parents to let us study, as we have light now. This is transformative, having solar light and being able to study”
All Kamsi thanks Community Building Group and Global Giving including all donors for their help, thanks to the solar electrification project for supporting girls education, students and teachers in this remote dryland where life condition is very hard.
More yet to come!!!!!
Unbelievable: Solar Power Made Kamsi School Ranked No. 1
The school of Kamsi has been ranked number #1 at the preparatory exam.
Djiguimdé, the director of the Kamsi School said that “this is unbelievable, the solar power made Kamsi Ranked No. 1 out of 20 schools. With solar power light, the kids enjoyed studying hard and all the time. Remember, we got two types of system from Community Building Group, the first is the electrification of our 6 classrooms, and the second is the community shared LED installed for 30 households. These have been a great help because the kids like it and you can see how they study every single day. Surprising, right? We got a chance here, and this honors me because as a teacher, I have colleagues from other areas who do not have this chance of having solar power, nothing, nothing at all. We have been lucky here."
Marie, a student parent said that: "it's been 3 years now that we have benefited from Community building Group solar electrification project, it is impressive since everything still working perfectly, all LED Lamp still working, everything is intact. Our children continue to enjoy the benefits of this project. They are able to study well and hard every single day and night, we are happy for them, and they obtained very satisfactory academic results. We are old, but we have hope in our kids. The solar power is great, I don’t know why we didn’t get it 10 years ago! Everywhere we go, other people said Kamsi has a good school. I told them the solar power has made Kamsi school good! We hope to have more power in the future to power up to 500 households."
For Honorine, a 7 grader, she said: “before I was not too much interested in school, because I have to help my mom and family to carry water and doing domestic work, and I helped my mom in everything. It was very hard. But when Community building group comes in our village, I saw them bringing solar equipment for light and water pumps. They installed the light in our village. Since that time, I feel like I received an energized force, I spend more time to study, and our parents don’t bother us too much as long as we are studying."
Community Building Group thanks all donors for their great contribution which has been very helpfully for supporting poor rural communities in Burkina Faso. The country has more than 8 000 villages, our goal is to power with solar energy at least one school per village.
Please make a donation, and let us know your thoughts and ideas
Sincerely thank
Community Building Group (CBG-WA) team in West Africa, particularly in Burkina Faso, is working tirelessly to support girls education toward solar energy lighting system. CBG has introduced the communities shared solar energy system which has two main components: Power school classrooms with solar energy LED light, and create study shelter areas with solar power light which allow students to study at night time at home after school. The project is a great success and has received a positive echo in the region. CBG -WA has installed solar energy LED light in the villages of Kamsi and Djomga.
Djomga is currently in the emergency zone declared by the government of Burkina Faso due to terrorist threats. The terrorist threats are real, and the village of Djomga and surrounding area are at high risk. Even that, CBG-WA team continue to support the local communities. The team traveled to the villages of Djomga and Kamsi. In both areas, the school attendance rate is now 99%. Almost, most students attend school. Djomga primary school is the only surrounding school with solar power LED. According to the local communities, most people stop by to see the solar system.
For Noraogo, the Director of the primary school in Kamsi said: "With the solar power LED, every night, the students come out and stay here to study, and we too as teachers enjoy the light. Honestly, it has been a tremendous help for the students of both sexes, mostly the girls have good school performance, knowing that they can read and do their homework after school. That's the big change in their life. Before, we don’t even bother them with taking home their homework. Because they won’t be able to do more with a petrol lamp".
For Samba, a student of Djomga primary school said: "I am happy that our classroom has light and after school, I can study more every day. The teacher gives us homework and I can read too my textbook."
Solar electrification project for school has significantly increased students academic success. In both schools (Kamsi and Djomga), thanks to the solar electrification project installed by CBG-WA, the success rate has significantly improved as compared to previous past years before the solar power. As early stated, girls mostly can do homework, reading, and writing.
Aissata, a student, tells us about her experience before and after the electrification of her school: She said: "before it was difficult for me to have good grades, because it's at night that I have the time to study, but we have only one petrol lamp for the whole family, I can’t even use the lamp, because everyone in my family use the same lamp their need, so it disrupts me, I need to wait every time someone takes the lamp. Now, it is over, the school has light, I go every night to study, my grade before was 4 or 5 out of 10, but now scored 8 out of 10 average. The light makes me work hard."
Community Building Group is ready to support local communities in remote areas for better education of the children who are our future. Thanks for your donation and contribution.
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