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Goat-farmer Patrick (53) has lived without electricity since he first returned to his village, and the home he inherited from his parents, 30 years ago.<\/p>\nPatrick Kakuru is looking forward to a time when the day no longer ends when the sun goes down.<\/p>\n
Like 95% of rural Ugandans, he lives \u2018off the grid\u2019, with no access to mains electricity. However, support from a Self Help Africa project has made the future a little brighter.<\/p>\n
Goat-farmer Patrick (53) has lived without electricity since he first returned to his village, and the home he inherited from his parents, 30 years ago.<\/p>\n
Each evening he puts a match to the smoky kerosene lamps that light his home. He has long dreamed of installing a solar panel to provide his family with enough light to study and work but the problem is the cost.<\/p>\n
At 200,000 shillings (\u20ac60) a solar panel is beyond the reach of a typical subsistence farmer like Patrick, who admits it is constant struggle just to keep his his children fed and in school. Involvement in a Self Help Africa project that has provided goat breeders with training and support means that the prospect of Patrick\u2019s dream going true is is looking a lot more optimistic.<\/p>\n
As a group member he received an improved breed male goat, which has enabled him to crossbreed his local goats to produce offspring that both give more meat and produce more milk.<\/p>\n
Patrick is confident that he will be able to sell his hybrids for almost twice the price, at market. Although his kids are not yet at a stage where they can be sold, Patrick is already benefiting in other ways, as he has rented his new goat as a breeding animal to other farmers in the region, charging a small fee each time.<\/p>\n
The increased income this provides means that he has more disposable income. \u201cWe are already eating better and I will be able to afford a solar panel next year.\u201d \u2018With light, my children will be able to study at night, I can work, and my wife can weave baskets for money. It means the day will no longer end when the sun sets.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Patrick Kakuru is looking forward to a time when the day no longer ends when the sun goes down.<\/p>\n