OPPROTUNITY PROJECT
Solar for Tanzanian Clinics
We have initiated a new Opportunity Project, entitled “Solar for Tanzanian Clinics”. In the Karagwe and Kyerwa districts of Tanzania, which have a combined population of 750,000 people, there are 2 hospitals, 6 health centers, and 69 health clinics. The health centers and clinics and all operating on low or zero degree of electrification, utilizing intermittent grid power or generators. After an initial survey by Mavuno Project and a needs assessment by the solar company OffGridBox, we decided that Phase 1 will be the solarization of the Kayanga Health Center (53 rooms) and the Rugu Clinic (25 rooms). The solar/clean-water equipment was shipped in from Italy and installed on-site in November. For Kayanga, we used three OffGridBox Mini 5-1200 (total 3 kWp, 3.6 kW inverter, 14.4 kWh battery, 5L/sec ultrafiltration), and for Rugu, we used one Mini 5-500 (0.25 kWp, 0.5 W inverter, 1.2 kWh battery, 5L/sec ultrafiltration). From now on, the up to 400,000 patients per year at Kayanga, and the up to 10,000 patients per year at Rugu will have 24/7 electricity and purified water for the foreseeable future.
The lack of clean and safe water in the districts has been responsible for diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, and worms, and the unreliable electricity in the clinics has been contributing to the deaths of pregnant mothers and babies at childbirth for years.
OPPORTUNITY PROJECT
Solar in Tanzania
Opportunity Projects are major projects which are initiated by the AllPeopleBeHappy foundation, or ones in which the Foundation is a principal administrator. They should be mission critical and doable in collaboration with partner organizations.
In collaboration with Amazide, Mavuno, and Off-Grid Electric, we initiated in 2017 an Opportunity Project to bring solar energy to primary schools in Tanzania. Most primary schools in rural Tanzania do not have electricity, hence teaching is carried out on clear days, without the aid of any electronic equipment. To remedy this, we developed a pilot project to electrify 10 primary schools in the Karagwe District of northern Tanzania. This “solar electrification” consists of roof-top solar panels, light bulbs, TVs, radios, and phone charging strips. The installation was completed in the second quarter of 2018 by Zola Electric, and all equipment are guaranteed for 5 years. The schools thus now have electricity essentially cost free for the foreseeable future.
After completing two surveys to assess the utility and impact of this “solarization,” we committed ourselves to a goal of solar electrifying all 111 primary schools in the Karagwe and Kyerwa Districts. In 2019, we completed the solar electrification of 36 more primary schools. This project continued as we solarized 36 more schools in 2020 and finished the project in 2021 with the solar installation at the remaining 29 schools.