At the launch of a pilot study to measure the impact of providing light to children living without electricity in Windhoek, 250 ultra-efficient WakaWaka solar-powered light units were handed over to schoolchildren.
Dutch Minister of International Trade and Development Lilianne Ploumen launched the pilot study on Tuesday last week at the Orange Babies Pappa Centre in Otjomuise, to various representatives associated with Dutch welfare projects and NGOs working with underprivileged children.
At the launch, Ploumen said the project goal is “to make a meaningful contribution to Namibian people’s prosperity, with something maybe as simple as having access to lighting and charging”.
The pilot phase of the projects aims to assess whether the WakaWaka units are “accepted, valued and used in local communities which do not currently have access to grid electricity,” a press statement by the Orange Babies Foundation stated.
The WakaWaka project, which has found a foothold globally, aims to “end energy poverty”.
The units are charged with sunlight and can charge cellphones and provide up to 150 hours of bright light.
According to the Namibia Household Income and Expenditure Survey of 2009/2010, only 42% of Namibian households used electricity for lighting and 38% relied on candles for lighting at home.
As such, the solar light units offer a flexible solution to provide light to households, providing opportunities for “social interaction, studies, reading, house chores and simply being able to move about safely at night or early morning.”
The initiative was launched in cooperation between the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Namibian Ministry of International Relations and the Orange Babies Namibia Foundation.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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