HAITI VISIT PART 4: SOLAR ENERGY MEETING WITH EARTHSPARK

Solar Energy Meeting with Earthspark / Enèji Pwòp for Power the World

In Haiti, Music for Relief's Power the World is supporting Enèji Pwòp (clean energy in Haitian Creole). We are working with Enèji Pwòp to get solar energy products like lights and cell phone chargers into households of Haitians without electricity. While in Haiti last month, Mike Shinoda met with Earthspark International, UN Environmental Programme, and Enèji Pwòp representatives at the UNEP office to learn more about the results of this program. He heard first hand from Haitians about how the solar lights, and in some cases, the money they are earning by selling the lights has transformed their lives. Here are just a few of their stories.

Juline Joint works as a teacher in addition to her role as a clean energy entrepreneur. Juline earns extra money for her family by selling TiPowa solar desk lamps and Lanp Enèji Pwòp solar light bulbs in her community on a rent to own basis. Customers pay the same amount of money for the solar light daily that they would spend on kerosene and then after a few months they own the light. She uses her solar light to grade papers at night.

Tisavoir Fils-Alcindor has been an Enèji Pwòp customer for several years. He purchased a 15W solar home system for his family with the help of micro-credit. He has long since paid off his loan but the benefits of using solar energy are still improving his family’s life. With the money that they save on kerosene, his family was able to purchase a pig that gave birth to 5 piglets meaning that they have a continuous source of income. They also used their solar home system to start a business charging mobile phones which can bring them a daily income of 2 USD, a considerable sum in Haiti.

Jeanne Caries has had over 40 years experience as a midwife in Les Anglais. Previously when she had to go out late in the night to attend to a woman giving birth, she had to use a dirty, sooty tet gridap (kerosene lamp) to light her way. Since receiving a solar light from MFR and Enèji Pwòp she has had a cleaner source of energy to light her way allowing her to see better. She has attended the birth of 12 babies using her solar lamp!

Overall, we were inspired by the stories from the Enèji Pwòp representatives. Thanks to all who have supported Power the World to make these exciting developments possible.

We ended the day with an incredible jam session with local Haitian music group Lakou Mizik www.LakouMizik.com. The Lakou Mizik project is a celebration of Haitian music and culture which brings together traditional instrumentation with updated lyrics and creative production, thus keeping the music both rooted in the past and resonant in the present.

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Comment by Todd Williamson on February 19, 2013 at 4:06pm: This is great to see such inspiring stories of how these solar lights are changing the lives of Haitians.
I can't wait to hear some more and hope to become personally involved at some point in the near future.