When residents of Mthembanji village greeted the arrival of a 20-foot shipping container to their village in Malawi’s Dedza District, last year, it sparked a host of new opportunities for people in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The transporter carried the components of a 12-kilowatt solar-powered microgrid \u2013 which, once installed, provided 60 homes and small businesses with a supply of electricity for the first time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Funded by the Scottish Government and managed through a partnership between the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and Self Help Africa’s sister organisation, United Purpose, the new solar powered plant has provided more than just clean energy for the people of Mthembanji, it has also created new income generating opportunities and better living quality for villagers. Children attending school are benefiting from electric light in their classrooms and as they do their homework, home-makers are cooking indoors with the benefit of electric light, while the dependence on costly batteries to charge radios, phones and other devices has receded for villagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, some local entrepreneurs are finding new ways to generate an income from their new utility – with cold drinks being sold in a local shops and goods that might otherwise spoil, being preserved with refrigeration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n