Activities: Training, micro credits and solar campaign

For any intervention to succeed, it must fundamentally consider rural energy and development from a policy perspective that seeks to improve the quality of life of rural households and facilitate rural income generation. It is necessary to promote sustainable supply and efficient use of traditional fuels while encouraging gradual transition to modern fuels in rural areas. This process needs to include the expansion of the share of renewable energy. This project therefore proposes an integrated approach that would embrace not just energy par se but also the right blend of policies, awareness, reforms and markets based on the circumstances of the region.

Activities in Kenya

Training
At the OSIENALA training centre at Dunga beach within greater Kisumu City 100 people from the fisher communities will be trained in installing and maintaining of PV systems and in briquetting and kiln techniques during the project period.

Kenya has to a large extent succeeded in establishing commercial development photovoltaic to supply household energy systems. Initial investment in these systems is normally too high for ordinary rural households and so it is important to introduce a marketing and management system that would encourage people to acquire and pay for them.

The banking sector and financial institutions have neglected the fisher folk around the Lake Victoria region. Cooperative societies were at one time the main provider of banking and credit facilities to the fisher folk beside Post bank, which offers saving facilities only. Members of the co – operative societies riddle this sector with corruption and mismanagement, which have lent it to collapse in some parts of the country. At best, nearest formal banking facility to the beaches is approximately 30 to 40 km of rough and poorly maintained road network.

Therefore, OSIENALA decided to initiate a micro-finance program that is committed to changing the economic status of the fisher folk in the Lake Victoria basin. The result is the launch of the Beach bank. So called beach clerks will inform fishermen about financing models for PV-Systems.

Solar campaign
In a broad solar campaign (radio, info tour) OSIENALA will raise awareness among locals at Lake Victoria for the opportunities arising from the use of PV-systems and energy efficient technologies.

Activities at international level

Awareness campaign in Germany

The Global Nature Fund will implement an awareness campaign in Germany to inform the public – particularly youth groups and pupils – about the project, the reasons for poverty and environmental degradation in Kenya and the responsibility of industrialised states for the situation in developing countries.

International workshop and dissemination

GNF in cooperation with OSIENALA will host a three-day workshop on "Renewable Energy -  Technologies and Applications". This event took place from 26th to 29th October 2005 in the run up to the 11th World Lakes Conference 2005 in Kenya in November 2005. The workshop was a key opportunity for representatives from the public and private sector as well as from NGOs to discuss measures and lessons learned in the introduction of renewable energy technologies. The transferability of strategies among developing countries and between North and South were addressed. Practical recommendations were given on future steps towards the implementation and use of sustainable energy. A guided field trip to project sites was offered to the international conference participants.