Solar Village Electrification Demonstration Project (NEP/98/G52/03)
Project Details & Results
Under the Home Employment & Lighting Package (HELP), Solar Village Electrification Demonstration (SOVED) Program targets the grassroots level communities. These people generally rely on firewood from nearby forests for lighting, cooking and even for earning additional income for their survival in the village. This has huge impact on the household as well global environment. Burning firewood for cooking and lighting fills the house with toxic fume and smoke, inviting respiratory diseases.
The program encourages to use villagers' skill to produce handicrafts in order to pay the solar system's cost. It also provides skill enhancement training in order to improve the quality of handicrafts. This program also gives them opportunity not only to pay the system's cost but also to generate extra income. This stops villagers cutting trees for selling purpose and the household environment becomes cleaner and healthier. The successful completion of the project will assist in addressing the operational programme of GEF/SGP by promoting renewable energy to grassroots level villagers.
With the initiation of the project, 105 HH (additional one in Health post) have installed solar home system. The solar beneficiaries are involved in crocheting the hand bags and have produced more than 600 colourful bags in the process of repaying the loans. These bags have been sold in international markets. via e-commerce. The project is in the process of developing e-commerce site which is now in final stage. Unlike other business institution, involvement of NGOs in commercial transaction via e-commerce is rather new in the country. The preparation of Cyber law is still in draft stage in Nepal.
Notable Community Participation
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)is signed between the District Development Committee (DDC) of Baglung District and the Himalayan Light Foundation. Under the MOU the DDC has agreed for mutual collaboration, sustenance and support for the implementation of the programme activities in the district. The DDC also formed an advisory committee known as District Advisory Committee (DAC). DAC, under the chairmanship of DDC Chairman, is responsible to supervise, monitor and support the project activities. The members of DAC are DDC Chairman, Local Development Officer, District Forest Officer, Chief of Small Scale Industry Development Board, Energy Advisor of DDC, National Programme Coordinator of UNDP GEF/SGP, and HLF Project Manager.
Bongadovan Village Development Committee (VDC) also provided their commitments to support the program by providing the office space and equipment, assisting in baseline data collection and co-funding and allocating budget for project activities.
Solar Development Committee (SDC) was formulated consisting of 100% beneficiaries of Solar Home System in the committee. Altogether there were 68 members. From the SDC, committee members created the Functional Group (FG) consisting of 13 executive members. The involvement of men and women in income generating activities are about 25 and 75 percent respectively. So far 10 community-based organizations (CBO's) have been formed and more groups are in the process of formation. The target number of community based organization is around 20.
Capacity - Building Component
In order to improve the local capacity skills of the staff and community members, they have been provided training on Micro Enterprises Development training, Social Mobilisation, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Product Development and Quality Control, Solar system maintenance, firewood-efficient cook-stove making and handicrafts making for livelihoods. A training was conducted on basic information on solar home system, preparation by beneficiaries on installation program, general maintenance of the system and general trouble shooting of the faulty systems. Villagers were also made familiar with “the best practices” for solar home system use and end user considerations in an introductory manner.
The two locally selected technicians also participated in the training program. After this basic training, Lotus Technicians gave the local technicians special training on installation of Solar Home Systems, which included assembling panels and frames, wiring to Stecca Charge Controller, Battery, Light and wiring at junction box. Both theoretical and practical training was provided to local technicians. The detail trouble shooting training was also conducted for local technicians to overcome any problem that may arise.
The two local technicians were brought to Kathmandu office to provide them the detail training on repair and maintenance of the system. This training had enabled the local technicians repair any faulty components of the system in the village. This training was held for 2 weeks from 28th August to 8th September 2000. The technician will set up the store at Bongadovan for sale and maintenance for various products.
Almost all members of SDC participated in Crused Hand Knitting bag training. The training was organised for 10 weeks from 3rd July to 19th September 2000. This training has helped beneficiaries to improve the quality of bag in terms of size, design, color matching and time saving techniques. This training has also provided skills to the prospective solar users in making hand knitted bags.
The project has planned to demonstrate and train the villagers in making improved firewood-efficient cookstoves. The trained village level specialists then promote and install the improved cook-stove throghout the communities. Along with the improved cook-stove training, a training on the the construction of toilet will also be provided to the selected members of the community.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
The solar light has brought rays of changes in social life of the rural people. The healthpost records show lesser number of cases on respiratory and eye diseases from solar village. In addition, the health post can also give night time facility due to the light, which would be otherwise closed after dark. Aside from night time knitting the bags to repay the electric bills, some of the households have also produced two bags to generate additional income. The impact is also seen in education sector. Ms Meena Chhantyal has passed SLC exam and studying nursing in the college. She gave the credit to the family for installing the solar home system. According to her, earlier, she could not study for a longer period in the evening due to the noxious flumes from the kerosene lamp. Likewise, other surprising impact in the social sector is reduction in alcohol consumption. According to male members their prestige would dwindle seeing them drinking large amount of alcohol in light among their kins.
Gender Focus
The confidence of women members are seen very high since the solar home systems have been installed purely from their own endeavour. Their knitting skill has also been improved after the intensive training. They are now capable of graphic desingning and also matching the colours. Since the women are involved in knitting business, male members have also helped them doing household chores such as fetching waters and looking after the babies
Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples
The indigenous people of Bongadovan are mostly Chhantyal, Magar, Thakali, Bahun and KDS (Kami, Damai and Sarki). The indigenous group Chhantyal is 19% of total beneficiaries, 15% KDS, 42% Magar, 9% Thakali and 15% Bahun.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
The project is a demonstration type in nature. The site is very good for desseminating demonstrative activities carried out in the area and for promoting generate the awareness of global environment.
Mother group of Bongadovan Bazar has established nursery which has raised the seedlings and planted in public and private lands to green the local area. The group has planned to grow fruit trees, fodder trees and ornamental trees, vegetables and a number of non-timber forest products for selling as well as demonstration purposes.
Project Results
In project village, 105 solar home systems had been given as loan with the system itself as the collateral. The villagers payback the loan by crocheting one woolen bag per month for two years. The project is selling the bag via e-commerce and other conventional method. The lessons of the project are- it is very difficult to target international market as the community cannot fulfill the demand of the international community and shipping cost of the bag is higher than the cost of the bag itself.
With the installation of the solar home system, the villagers have saved money to buy costly Kerosene and also reduce the felling of mature Pine trees to extract fatwood.
Project Photo Gallery
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Bongadovan Village houses with Solar Panels
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Crocheting the bag in a clean Solar light
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You do not need to fell the tree to kill it!
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