Samsam's Renewable World highway journey in Kenya

Hello I am Samsam, I’ve labored at Octopus Vitality for the previous 5 years, and lived in Kenya for the previous yr and a half. Here is how my epic highway journey with Renewable World went…

It’s 6am and I’m woke up by the loud buzzing of my cellphone. I scramble to search out it below my mattress as the new Nairobi solar streaks into my room. As quickly as I reply, a cheery voice booms via the cellphone: ‘HI, Samsam! It’s Benson from Renewable World – so excited for our highway journey to Kajiado – I’ll be at yours in 30 minutes!’

A stereotypically African 60 minutes later, Benson and I are weaving via chaotic Nairobi visitors listening to mild music from the Mombasa coast. Benson, a smile all the time tugging on the corners of his mouth, tells me all in regards to the unimaginable work Renewable World does. He has labored for the organisation for 8 years as a Venture supervisor, and is delighted to indicate me the thrilling work they’re planning in Kajiado County.

Like us, Renewable World is on a mission to make inexperienced energy accessible to all.

To realize this they’ve created initiatives to supply free sustainable power options to empower and remodel communities. In Nepal, they put in solar energy techniques in 15 rural clinics remodeling the lives of hundreds. A few of their different initiatives we’ve invested in embody bringing clear cooking stoves to households in Rwanda and Somalia and restoring boreholes in elements of Rwanda to scale back carbon emissions and dramatically enhance the lives of individuals within the space.

We’ve donated to a lot of their initiatives on behalf of our Tremendous Inexperienced clients, who need to carbon offset their gasoline (in addition to their electrical energy). For these clients, we add up their annual gasoline utilization and donate the equal quantity of carbon offsetting credit score to Renewable World. This balances out the carbon within the ambiance, and ensures low-cost, inexperienced power entry to fuel-poor communities all over the world.

Benson enthusiastically tells me all in regards to the mission:

Alongside the way in which to our first well being centre, we decide up our videographer Abraham who regales us together with his adventurous tales of travelling via beautiful landscapes and war-torn international locations as a contract videographer.

So begins our journey; a 5 hour trek from Nairobi to one of the crucial distant elements of Kenya – only a stone’s throw away from Tanzania (I need to admit feeling tempted to hightail throughout the border for a visa-free go to to the sunny paradise).

We drove via untenable terrain, paving our personal method throughout mountain ridges to Kajiado county to find how solar energy can remodel a group.

After a whole bunch of miles of lovely landscapes, with limitless rolling grasslands dotted with towering flat-topped acacia bushes, we arrive on the Elkilorid Well being Centre. We have been rapidly invited to a gaggle sit down with the medical doctors, locals visiting the centre and authorities officers supporting Renewable World. I acquired to talk with medical doctors in regards to the challenges they face being based mostly so remotely, and with no entry to energy.

I acquired some fascinating perception from native Maasai women and men who instructed me about their lifestyle and their experiences accessing healthcare with a scarcity of energy. Rose, who makes her dwelling weaving jewelry, tells me;

As we’re chatting with the locals, a sudden noise and blow of mud indicators the arrival of the physician, Jared, driving in coolly on his motorbike from a house go to. The 29 yr outdated is the one physician at Elkilorid, one of many solely well being centres in Kajiado west, an space serving over 25,000 folks.

I sat down with him to search out out what solar energy would imply for the centre. “The well being centre suffers from a scarcity of electrical energy. With no lights, we have now to carry out life saving procedures with solely cellphone flashlights as illumination’’ he tells me ruefully.

I heard harrowing and heroic tales of medical doctors going above and past to save lots of the lives of their sufferers.

The dearth of energy poses challenges on a each day foundation, as Joseph tells me:

Alongside a scarcity of x-ray or ultrasound machines, and essential diagnostic gear, the well being centre, like others Renewable World is supporting, will not be geared up to supply a very good high quality service to their sufferers.

Every particular person I communicate to tells me how grateful they’re for the work Renewable World is doing and the way solar energy is a life-changing measure for them. Lots of the locals reside easy lives, herding livestock and this centre is their solely supply of healthcare.

Regardless of the challenges they face, the group is eager for the long run and sometimes get away into suits of laughter watching one another being interviewed. At one level, I marvel at how Rose, who’s in her 80’s might simply go for 20 years youthful. I quietly ask her secret for trying so nice and he or she tells me it’s apparent; ‘by no means cease shifting, and all the time be at one with nature!’’

On day two, we stand up at 5am to journey the size of the county to the second well being centre on our agenda; Torosei Dispensery. It’s based mostly in a distant village up within the mountains of Kajiado county and its the one well being care facility for a whole bunch of miles.

At round midday, we arrive at Torosei Dispensery, an old-looking however spacious constructing, excessive up within the mountains, deep in Maasai county. We obtain a heat welcome from the native officers and are ushered on to an enormous circle of chairs within the sunny courtyard to get to know the crew and local people just a little higher.

Our first interview of the day is with Physician Josphat, and we observe as he quietly and confidently places his sufferers comfy. He reveals us across the hospital, and tells us all about his challenges they face as a result of lack of energy. He’s the one physician on the facility, so sleeps in a makeshift bed room on the centre to assist any emergency sufferers that go to late at evening. To our amazement he casually tells us he’s just a little drained this morning as he was up many of the evening as a consequence of a horde of elephants passing (once more!) by the centre in quest of water.

I acquired the possibility to interview some locals who instructed me their private experiences with the healthcare centre. It’s the solely place girls can come to offer start, kids can get vaccinated and elders will be examined by a health care provider. But usually, girls are pressured to offer start with solely cellphone mild as illumination and youngsters are unable to be vaccinated as there are not any fridges to maintain the vaccines.

I sought out some locals to get a first-hand understanding of their expertise:

This centre, like the opposite 3 centres chosen for this mission, fulfil a vital function of their respective communities. For hundreds, that is the one care obtainable to them and too usually, it is the distinction between life and demise.

Different organisations have tried to begin related solar energy initiatives however with no continued funding for upkeep or maintenance, the techniques rapidly go into disrepair. Renewable World is set to make it possible for doesn’t occur right here. Benson makes it clear to me that sustainability is the one most vital factor to Renewable World.

On our remaining day, we acquired up early at our resort in Kajiado city decided to find extra about Kajiado. We visited the busy market and acquired to know the area people just a little higher. One notably pleasant girl promoting recent produce demanded I take her son’s cellphone quantity as he was on the lookout for a third spouse; ‘He already has two wives, meaning he’s well-trained and girls like him – give him a name!’

Admittedly, the logic is foolproof.

Having lived in Kenya for the previous yr and a half, I’m all the time struck by the open hearted friendliness and heat welcome wherever you go. This highway journey supplied an enchanting perception into life in rural Kenya, and the challenges that include a life spent at the hours of darkness.

From listening to first-hand in regards to the experiences of a conventional Maasai girl to the physician’s harrowing and heroic tales, I used to be struck by the depth of experiences on this small rural space.

Most of all, I used to be struck by the willpower and calm acceptance with which every particular person devoted themselves to caring for others, by whichever means they’d obtainable.

Earlier than we depart, I take a second to sit down down with native official Laido to debate the governments connection to Renewable World.