Mrs. Enare and Mr. Hariso live in the rural, arid countryside of Ethiopia with their 10 children. Because of the vast land they plough and their successful gains, they are considered by many in their village to be “model farmers.” Until recently, the family had relied on kerosene lamps and diesel-run generators to power the activities on their large farm and in their family home — as, like most people in Ethopia, they lack access to the electric grid.
In Ethiopia, only 33% of households are connected to grid electricity. Today, most of the population, and particularly those in rural parts of the country, live without access to the power grid and modern energy services. Like Mrs. Enare and Mr. Hariso, many farm communities still use kerosene, candles, battery torches or other fossil fuel-powered technologies for lighting.
While the Ethiopian Government’s ambitious national electrification program aims to reach much of the population through grid expansion by 2025, millions of households will need an interim off-grid solution while waiting for the grid to reach them — or even in some cases a permanent solution, such as in very remote areas, where grid access will remain too costly and logistically challenging even in the long term.
But many of the available interim solutions are expensive, harmful to health, hazardous, and polluting. They resign the poorest people to a life of energy poverty which constrains economic development and impedes access to education, livelihood development, health, and basic services including communications, water, and transport.
To support alternative lighting and energy sources for the off-grid population, Lighting Global began working in Ethiopia in September 2015 to mobilize the private sector to create markets for clean and affordable lighting products. As part of our activities, the program has carried out consumer education campaigns in four different regions of Ethiopia in the past few years, targeting over 12 million Ethiopians with a focus on rural areas. The campaigns highlight the benefits provided by purchasing quality off-grid products, and helps consumers identify products that meet Lighting Global Quality Standards. Activities include mass media and door-to-door campaigns, which are tailored to address the specific needs of low-income households across the country. In local markets, our teams set up stages, play music, rally the crowd with Q&A sessions with prizes, and debunk myths about solar lanterns in order to educate consumers about quality products — thereby stimulating the market.
On a routine visit to Guudu Malle market in Aleta Chuko city to buy goods, Mr. Hariso came across one such Lighting Africa/Ethiopia consumer education event, and he stopped to listen in. He joined the festivities, participated in the Q&A session and won himself one of the quality-verified products and learned about the various quality-verified solar products available to him in his town.
When he arrived home with his prize, he noticed the light’s impact immediately. “My eldest son had always complained of pain in his eyes from the generator fumes, preventing him from studying for very long in the evenings.” But with the new solar lantern, “he was able to study for longer, without complaining about the smoke or pain in his eyes.”
But for Mrs. Enare, it was the cost efficency of the products that really won her over. Mrs. Enare manages her family’s finances and had been closely monitoring the recurring fuel costs and the length of time the machines ran each night. The high cost of fuel meant meant short evening hours for their necessary activities.
The solar lantern instantly eased the family’s budget. Mrs. Enare quickly took note of this impact and convinced her husband to buy additional solar lights for their home. On their next visit to the market, Mr. Hariso visited the solar retailers stocking quality-verified lights and purchased additional solar lights for his home.
“Before using these solar lights in our home we had to buy diesel every day for lighting, which was very expensive. Our monthly consumption of diesel for the lamps was around 10 liters which cost us around 150 ETB,” says Mrs. Enare. By investing in a one-off purchase price of 3, 297 ETB, the family is now able to do more around the home, at a lower cost.
“We charge the lights all day and use them all around the home at night, long into the evening hours, with zero cost,” she said. “We can look after the oxen in the evenings and feed them later.”
“I can prepare food in my kitchen at night without any difficulties — before the diesel smoke irritated my eyes and prevented me from cooking at night. Using the solar products gives me more time, more money, and makes us efficient in our day to day life,” she added. “The light is easy to use and durable and very comfortable to work with.”
And this also means the whole family can stay up later, “When night fell, we used to retire to bed early. But now, we can sit outside with our neighbors, having a chat while drinking coffee. I am always astounded at how important these lights are,” says Mrs. Enare.
As the “model” farmers in the village, Ms. Enare and Mr. Hariso are now inspiring their neighbors and other villagers to transition to solar products.
To learn more about the IFC’s Lighting Programs , visist www.lightingglobal.org.
Photos by Zeleman communication, Advertising and production PLC
