Solar project empowers 'Isileli women [1]
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 - 17:57. Updated on Saturday, May 10, 2014 - 14:25.
TWO mothers from 'Isileli, a swamp community on the western fringes of Nuku'alofa, received the biggest surprise of their lives on Monday when an hour into a community meeting about setting up a solar power project, they were selected to go and study at Barefoot College, India, for six months, to learn solar power installation, with all expenses to be paid for by the Indian government.
Siale Vaipulu and Siutiti Piutau immediately accepted the offer made by Bunker Roy the creator of Tilonia village in India where older women from poor communities are trained in technical skills.
But would they need to go home and discuss the matter over with their husbands, they were asked?
The answer was "no" the ladies could make their own decisions.
Bunker Roy was in Tonga on a one day visit and met the community group at the Savation Army Hall in 'Isileli.
Community support
The women at the meeting in unison agreed for the two to go to India and said they would help to look after their families while they were away.
Bunker Roy, who has picked more than 300 grandmothers from 30 countries during the last 40 years to study at Barefoot College, said that he had not failed once.
He said that Siale and Siutiti would be among 17 other grandmothers from seven other Pacific Island countries who will leave the region in March to attend Barefoot College in Tilonia, India.
Bunker said that the Indian government considered these seven Pacific Islands countries as "Loyal Friends", and their generosity was just a friendly gesture.
He said that when Siale and Siutiti returned to Tonga after six months, "they will be Tonga's first Solar Power engineers."
He said that Barefoot College does not issue certificates, "their certificates will be recognised by the community from the number of solar power panels that they will install in homes."
Siale and Siutiti are expected to return from India in September, and 30 homes will be lightened up by solar power before Christmas 2011.
Community project
Bunker and his Tongan counterpart, Sione Tupouniua stressed to the 30 members of the 'Isileli Community Women's Group that the project was community focused. They had to form a five-members committee and the committee would open a bank account, where each of the houses where a solar power unit will be installed will pay $20 pa'anga a month. The account in the bank will be for repair and maintenance of solar power units by their two engineers.
Bunker said that before they proceeded with the project each of the women, representing the 30 homes in 'Isileli must sign an agreement that they will pay the $20 a month. They will start paying when Siale and Siutiti installed the solar units and switched on the lights, after they returned from India in September. Each home will have three light bulbs, and the power that will be supplied by each unit will be enough for lights only.
Bunker estimated that each solar power units was worth about $400, but all the expenses for the project and the solar units will be paid for by the government of India and other donors. He said that once the 'Isileli women's community group installed their lights and were up and running, then the group with the expertise of Siale and Siutiti could run a business and install solar powered lights in other under-privileged communities like 'Isileli, "but not in the homes of rich people."
Sione Tupounia said that he had visited Tilonia, the village created by Bunker Roy, where the women are trained in India. "I am really deeply impressed. It was an outstanding experience to see that it is possible to train 23 women out of seven countries who are not able to read or even communicate with each other or with their teacher but to enable them to construct circuit boards, lamps, solar modules and the corresponding cabling on their own within a period of two months. This project is not to be outdone by robustness, simplicity and creativity."
Financial support for the pilot project was pledged by Lano Fonua from the Renewable Energy Division of the Prime Minister's Office, as the project is within their working program for every home in Tonga to have access to electricity.