Barbwire Community Bore-hole and Solar Street Lights Installation – Glow Initiative for Economic Empowerment

CONSTRUCTION OF BORE-HOLE AND INSTALLATION OF SOLAR STREET LIGHTS AT BARBWIRE COMMUNITY

The barbwire community is also known as Kpako community (Kpako means wood, and it got this name because all houses are one room space built with wood and covered with tapolin to keep out rain. Houses accommodate up to 6 persons on the average) The community residents are displaced people who relocated from Kuramo beach. It also largely includes persons who cannot afford to rent a house but could afford to purchase wood. The community members are largely poor. They lack access to clean drinking water. The entire 2,500 residents depend on only 4 shallow wells whose water is dirty for drinking. The residents especially children suffer severely from water-borne diesases such as Cholera and typhoid. The community also lack access to electricity. On a daily basis crimes such as theft and rape occur at night in the streets due to pitch darkness. Before I went for my research, I was warned by a member of the community not to go to the community alone as I may be robbed, he insisted I went with him to escort me. The project seeks to address the above problems by providing a borehole and install 50 solar street lights to provide lights in the streets at night thereby reducing crime rate.

The Project ultimately aims to foster a sense of community by promoting peace and security, to promote good health by eliminating water-borne diseases. The project includes the construction of a borehole to provide access to clean drinking water for the residents and ultimately reduce dependencies on the dirty well and eliminate water-borne diseases which has distressed members of the community especially children and infants. The project also includes the installation of portable solar street lights to be mounted by wooden poles and provide light for the community members at night. This will reduce the rate of crime that occur in the community at nights. It will foster community and well-beign as one solar light will be installed in the community square to provide a central gathering space for relaxation where children can also study.

The Construction of the borehole will be managed by the project team until completion (2 volunteers from Glow Initiative fro Economic Empowerment). After its completion, it will be handed over to the Baale (community Chief) who will then delegate a person to be in charge of the bore-hole on a day to day basis. The Installation of the Solar street lights will be managed by the project team and the vendor – Astven Slar, who will have their project team on ground to ensure smooth operation. At this time, I have engaed the bore – hole and solar vendor. We have gone though the processes and they now await my signal for work to begin.

This project will greatly reduce diseases such as Typhoid and cholera suffered frequently by the community residents, This will lead to good health and general community environmental well-beign. The provision of solar street lights will eliminate darkness at nights thereby reducing the rate of crime on-going in the community as dark areas which aid crime will now be lighted. The street lights will also foster community amongst the residents and provide a sense of belonging and oneness and they can gather at the solar light center in the evenings. It will also improve the reading culture of the kids as they now have a bright light to study at night with.

Residents will no longer have to spend money on treatment of water-borne diseases thereby saving more money to be used for other things. They will also save money as the frequency of petrol usage for generator will be reduced. The community will make money from the subsidized water sale fee which they can invest in maintaining the bore-hole s well as invest in general community activity. In all, This project will promote good health and well-being, foster peace and security. The community’s general standard of living will be improved and the people and community as a whole make and save more money.

The people are mostly traders. The women buy and sell petty items, such as provisions. Some others cook and sell food stuff and already prepared food. Some of the men work as security guards in the city. Others are involved in the transportation sector, they drive motorcycle commercially (popularly known as Okada), Tricycle (Popularly known as Keke Marwa) and trucks (for companies).

Socially, They engage in soccer games where teams come out to play and others watch. There is also a local beer bar where people gather in the evenings to relax. They have a women’s food sharing end of year activity. During the end of year they engage in soccer competitions where different teams compete and win a prize.

The water is going to be sold at a minimal fee 50% less than what they previously paid to purchase water. Hundreds of families need to purchase water on a daily basis, this will generate a relatively substantial revenue in a month. This fee will be used to sustain the bore-hole and pay a small stipend to the community worker in charge of water sales. The solar street lights have a life warranty of 20 years. Therefore the panels only need to be placed strategically to get enough sun and it will work appropriately. If there are any issues with the wooden poles, the revenue generated from the borehole will cover for that.

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