Sandy EapenLighting Malawi
I remember seeing a “night-time” picture of the world in my Energy, Business, and Economic Development class last year. While the U.S. was obviously well-lit, Africa was almost entirely dark. This map illustrated that Africa had a long way to go to in providing its people with energy, which is an important intervention in raising people out of extreme poverty, disease, and hunger. I had a strong desire to help by exploring business and development in Africa through fieldwork and with a focus on energy.
I am really fortunate to have found an internship with the Energy Sector of the Millennium Villages Project in Malawi working on a project where I can see, in many ways, results. I’m enjoying Malawi— a small, landlocked densely populated country in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s a peaceful place, the landscape is filled with rolling plateaus, and the people are really nice. However, only 7% of the population has access to electricity. My project for the summer is to lead a small-scale market trial for solar powered, portable electric lanterns in the village of Mwandama. The villagers here live on less than $1USD per day and cannot easily access electricity.
It’s been a busy three weeks so far, but the experience has been amazing. In that time, I, along with a colleague, have done a market scan, interviewed village vendors, met with the village chiefs, and held focus group discussions with the vendors and villagers. We selected the lantern type and business model we want to introduce. In addition, we held sensitization meetings, where 50-160 villagers came to learn about the lanterns and how to purchase them.
Even more exciting, we’ve initiated sales of the lanterns, which is certainly a milestone. People have been really interested in the light. As one chief put it, “Nobody wants to live in darkness.” I’m enjoying learning about the positive things the Millennium Villages Project has done and the challenges it faces. It’s exciting to be a part of this initiative - meeting the villagers, learning the local language, Chichewa, experiencing the Malawian culture, and implementing a project that can lastingly impact the lives of the poor.
Journal 2:
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Malawi for almost two months. Things have been going well. We have sold 52 lanterns so far, all of our initial order for the market trial. Because there is such a strong demand for solar lanterns in the villages, we’ve placed another order of 200, which should arrive soon. This month I, along with my enumerator/translator, have been doing household surveys of people who have purchased the lanterns (our early adapters). To measure the impact of the lanterns on the villagers, we’re collecting data, such as kerosene expenditures, lighting types, and lighting uses before and after the lantern.
I’ve enjoyed meeting the people in their houses and talking with them about their experiences. The survey data indicates that people are already saving an average of $.50/week on kerosene. The lantern is providing much more light than the typical kerosene lamps and a great savings opportunity for villagers earning less than a dollar a day. So far, people have indicated that they are very satisfied with their purchase and that other villagers are really eager to purchase the lanterns as soon as more are available.
Another exciting thing that our team has been working on is starting an energy cooperative that can manage the sale of lanterns in the future. It will essentially run like a business with a formal structure in place, bylaws, an accounting system, and auditing by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
For more on the work fellows did for the Millennium Village Project, visit Andrew Umans' journal.
