Women solar engineers gift Togo village

In Agome-Sevah, a village in Togo, farmers strive to get out of poverty due to solar electricity installed in the village by four women. Adjoa Amegbleame, 38 and mother of seven, it full of enthusiasm selling pastries to a customer. “I am making more profit. Selling my doughnut now in the night has become a fact of my life. Now I can settle here every night and not have to fight anymore against the wind, which in the past used to blow and threaten to extinguish the lantern I used as a light.”
 

Agome-Sevah is a safer place to be 

Amegleame, like many in Agome-Sevah, has solar electricity and feels safe when selling late at night. Two years ago, life was very hard in the village because there was no electricity. The entire village lived in darkness because they weren’t connected to the public electricity grid. The main sources of energy were wood, charcoal, and and oil. Sourcing raw materials to develop energy is a vital item in the household budget. This has resulted in the reduced economic activity. A farmer in the village notes “we can now charge our phones at home. And my wife is no longer setting off for miles to grind millet or grill corn.” This scenario made it possible by a local association named Dekamile who implemented a solar energy electrification project for the village. The association sent four illiterate women to India for six months training in solar electrification. In September 2016, “on their return, we ordered solar components and when this equipment reached Agome-Sevah, the four women engineers installed them on each household. 153 households in total are covered today,” said Dethanou Logossou, the general secretary of Dekamile Association.
 

Women who changed the living conditions

These women changed the living conditions of the 1500 inhabitants representing the population of Agome Sevah. The installations enable 175 households to have light at night from renewable energy and to decrease the price of buying kerosene. The solar project contributes to the fight against climate change, permitted an additional source of income for the women who  charge for the installation and maintenance costs. The development of nocturnal economic activities like  grocery stores, safety at night, improved sanitary conditions, education, health and care and generally improved working conditions. For Adjoa Amegbleame solar energy has empowered her business and changed her life. “Now I have a lot of money to supply my family’s needs and to pay the children’s school fees.” The installation of solar energy has expanded opportunities that the village only dreamed up. Their hopes and dreams are now a daily reality. 

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save. Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.