SLS-9c1d Collaboration with Electrical Engineering on advancing Solar Panel projects

Starting from 2015, installation of solar panels to generate electricity has become one of the key projects carried out by the joint COMP-OSL (Department of Computing - Office of Service-Learning) teaching team.  Variations of the project have been carried out by different teams of students under the supervision of the teaching team in Rwanda, Cambodia and Myanmar.  The teaching team has carried out many other projects, such as setting up community learning centres, STEM teaching, STEM-themed playground, more advanced IT such as virtual reality, augmented reality, etc.  The team’s discipline, IT, is rather broad and much of which can be pressed into service.  But IT is founded on the availability of electricity, which enables so much else as well. And the need for electricity is so great in so many developing countries. It seems almost a crime to not to try to provide it while we know we can. 

Gradually the projects attract the interest of the other engineering departments, particularly Electrical Engineering.  The EE team, led by Dr. Alan Lau and Dr. Edward Lo, started developing their own SL subject, with assistance from the COMP-OSL team. In summer 2018, while the development of their own subject was still on-going, they sent a team to Cambodia to work alongside the COMP-OSL team, as part of the COMP-OSL subject. This way they can gain first-hand experience in teaching a SL subject, and also to test out their own ideas for projects.  The two teams installed solar panels using different designs, at different sites in the same village.  The COMP-OSL team guilt charging stations for clusters of houses.  Each house is provided with a battery, which is brought to the charging station at the centre of the cluster to be charged when needed.  The EE-OSL team focused on clusters of houses which are very close to each other, so close that they can simply swing a cable from the charging station to the houses in the cluster.  The way the villagers do not have to take the battery to the charging station.  In many aspects the EE solution is more professional and robust, while the COMP solution uses more common components and are easier to learn.  

By the following summer the EE team’s subject proposal had been approved.  Yet the EE and COMP teams continue to collaborate.  In summer 2019, both teams return to the same village in Cambodia.  The EE team concentrated on repairing the installed systems, and refining the design of the new solar panel systems.  In the mean time, the COMP team concentrated on further developing a community earning centre and a STEM-themed playground.  The two teams shared some of the teaching on the cultural background of the community, a lot of the work communicating with the NGO partner, site preparation, material procurement, local transportation, etc., and are very happy with the collaboration. 

The COMP and EE disciplines have certain similarities, and the service projects overlap to some extent. In this case the shared interest resulted in fruitful collaboration. But we could not take the collaboration for granted.  In some situations the similarities and overlaps between academic disciplines can and did lead to conflicts.   In one unfortunate incident prior to this, an academic department H proposed a new SL subject. The proposal was approved by the vetting committee, which then forwarded the proposal for endorsement by the university’s senate - the final step before the subject can be offered to students.  At this point, department A objected to the proposal on the ground that the proposed subject is in A’s domain.  Eventually H was forced to withdraw the proposal.  A lot of handwork in preparing an exciting subject went down the drain, and the students were deprived of an opportunity to participate in a potentially very meaningful project. All because of turf-fighting between academic departments.  Subsequently department A did propose a subject that was superficially similar but fundamentally dissimilar, addressing very different issues with very different projects.   This was particularly regrettable because it happened in service-learning, where the objective should be one of cooperation for mutual benefit, of co-creation.  Sometimes the teachers themselves are not setting very good examples for the students.  

Fortunately, COMP and EE approached this with a much more open and generous attitude.  They realised that both have much to gain from collaboration.  One was willing to share its experience to bring a new member into the SL community.  The other did not mind that one was “encroaching” on its own domain, and received some help in getting started.    Once things are on track, each have gained a friend and a partner.  There is more than enough opportunities for both to serve, even if the services that they provide share some similarities.  The world of disadvantaged communities is much much bigger than the capacity of both of them combined.  Indeed, the two teams have been collaborating happily in many aspects, sharing experiences, contacts, expertise, laboratories, and more.  This is the sort of leadership that is needed among the teachers, if only as an example for the students.  

The two departments are continuing to collaborate, in other more innovative projects.  More on that later.  Socially Responsible Leadership is generous and inclusive.  It is not  inward-looking and exclusive.  That applies to the students, and even more so, the teachers and administrators.  

SLS-9c1c Digital Leadership for a More Equitable World

The realities in the field in places such as rural Rwanda and Cambodia challenge us in so many ways.  In a world that is so dependent on technology such as the Internet, what do the people there need in order to survive, let alone to succeed?  Should computers be provided?  How can computers be run where there is no electricity?  Should Internet access be provided?  How?  Wired networks?  Wireless networks?  SIM cards? Paid subscriptions?  What software should be provided?  Software applications widely used in the developed countries can be prohibitively expensive.  Open source software can be inexpensive, with limited applicability.  Who can provide the training?  Support and Maintenance?  How can students from overseas, local students, village youths, and other community members work together to tackle these challenges? These are only the more immediate issues. 

What about the electricity needed to access the digital world?  Solar panels sounds like an appropriate technology.  But how?  Small systems are less expensive but also less efficient.  On the other hand, they are easier to learn and maintain.  How should such a system be operated for sustainability?  How can the technology be transferred to empower the community?  Can the electricity and the information technology be used to address other issues such as health and education?  

Digital Leadership is often taught and discussed in the context of the use of digital technology for business objectives.  We believe we should broaden the scope of digital leadership to include the society as a whole, and particularly those who are disadvantaged. 

Technology is generally developed for those who can afford the privilege to purchase and use them.  Hence they come with functions and characteristics tuned to the needs of the privileged.  The disadvantaged cannot afford the new technology to start with. Even when the disadvantaged gain access, they often find that the technology does not address their needs, which may be quite different from those of the privileged.  For example, popular hardware and software are often loaded with features that are seldom used, which makes the technology very expensive.  The privileged can afford to pay extra for features that they don’t use.  But the poor can ill afford it.  Exposure to these realities through service-learning in the field challenges the students to learn to be leaders in the digital world.  How should these technologies be developed and deployed for a more equitable world? 

Our focus remains service-learning.  We are not aiming to offer a comprehensive program on digital leadership. At least, not yet. Through the experience of service-learning, however, we can offer a direct, personal - indeed intimate - perspective of digital leadership.  As opposed to a theoretical, academic perspective.  And a perspective  of unmet human needs, beyond the common business profit perspective.  Through first person experiences of the challenges, possibilities, action, immediate and longer term impact of technology (particularly digital technology), we hope to provide students with a constructive venture into digital leadership for a more equitable world. 

SLS-9c1b Joint SL projects in Rwanda and Cambodia - digital leadership

Leadership and Service-Learning education complement each other quite naturally. Our collaboration with the University of Maryland team also cover both elements.  In 2016, we followed up with the joint teaching of leadership in Spring with a joint service-learning project in summer in Rwanda.  In 2017, the joint project took place in summer in Cambodia. The Service-Learning project was designed to challenge the student to practice and internalise what they learned from the leadership modules.  From another perspective, the leadership modules prepare the students to tackle and learn from the SL projects more effectively.  Combined together, the two elements prepare the students to be leaders in the digital world.  

In summer 2016, two Maryland teachers came with 3 students to join the PolyU students in Rwanda.  The Maryland Team worked with one of the PolyU Teams which set up a community learning centre, with home-made computers, solar panels to provide electricity, and servers to provide learning materials.  The joint team then ran workshops to train local youths in the use of the computers at the learning centre.   In the process, the joint team practiced working together as a team, with members from very diverse backgrounds.  They practice dealing with numerous cross-cultural issues.  At one point, PolyU students felt pressured, even intimidated by the Maryland students, with their directness in expressing opinions and earnestness in advocating their ideas.  Those are exactly what may be considered “teachable moments” when teachers can help the students understand some of the cultural differences and to find appropriate ways to handling such situations.  The students are most receptive in those moments when the need is imminent. The learning is vivid when the solution can be applied and validated immediately with real consequences. Such lessons make a deep impact when the students are emotionally invested.  

PolyU students took the lead in the community learning centre project, particularly with the more technical aspects such as the assembly of the home-made computers, installation of the network, and setting up of solar panels.  This was mainly because some of the PolyU students major in computing, and the extensive training and preparations for the PolyU team prior to the trip to Rwanda.  On the related project of studying the needs of the community and the impact of the projects, the Maryland students took the lead - as their course was more concerned about cross-cultural leadership.  Behind the scene - and sometimes in front - the two sets of teachers worked hard to ensure mutual understanding and respect between the teams. Overall, the two groups of students complement each other well, and learned much though the practical challenges.  

In summer 2017, the two Maryland teaches took 5 students to join the PolyU students in Cambodia.  This time the focus was the setting up of a community learning centre out of a recycled 20-feet cargo container. It took place on the grounds of a primary school at a village in Kampong Speu province, roughly 70 kilometres outside of Phnom Penh.  The school has 3 very basic classrooms, without running water and off the electrical power grid.  The students joined with local volunteers to pain attractive murals on the cargo container.  They made science-themed tables.  They installed a water collection system feeding into a 500 litre water tank.  They set ups solar panels on the roof, and wired up the inside with lights and fans.  They set up books and computers, …  They built a science-themed playground.  

There is something about humans using their hands to make things that is deeply satisfying.  We do have to be careful that the students are not just engaged in mundane labour. Humans have a need to create.   While designing and making science-themed furniture, the students enjoy exercising their creativity in making something that can help the local children appreciate science in a tangible, personal way.  The provision of electricity through solar panels, of course, continues to be particularly gratifying because the impact on the lives of the villagers and the children are so vivid, immediate, and long-lasting.  

SLS-9c1a - Teaching Socially Responsible Leadership (SLR) - jointly with University of Maryland through the Global Classroom.

In 2016, our team started working together on a joint course with a team led by Natasha Chapman and Anne Spear at the Leadership and Community Service Learning (LCSL) Office of the University of Maryland.  The Maryland team created a course HESI 418T: "Technology Beyond Borders: Service-Learning and Leadership across Cultural, Ethnic and Community Lines” at University of Maryland, to match and run jointly with our own course COMP2S01, with the same title.  Several classes of the two courses are taught jointly, interactively, online, as a Virtual Global Classroom.  The PolyU and Maryland teachers take turns to teach the joint class, with lots of small group discussions.  The PolyU team and the U Maryland have been offering a joint course annually since then, continuously developing and revising the content on Socially Responsible Leadership (SRL). Later on, a new subject COMP3S02 was developed incorporating the new leadership material. The current set of content consists of four major modules. 

A Global Leadership Module discusses: (1) Leadership as a Social Construct: What is leadership and how do you become a leader; (2) Intercultural Competencies: intercultural models, particularly Bennett’s Developmental Model of InterCultural Sensitivity (DMIS) (Denial, Defence, Minimization, Acceptance, Adaptation & Integration); (3) Leadership Styles and Cultures;  (4) Dangers of a Single Story - essentially warnings against stereotyping.  These are some of the most important preparations for cross-cultural service-learning.  In fact, for any kind of cultural exchange.  Time and again, we witness and heard about students from one country visiting another, expecting the other to live, talk and behaviour just like themselves, and getting disappointed.  

A second module discusses Leadership in Virtual Global Teams, with lots of readings, discussions, and opportunities for practice. The PolyU and Maryland courses are organised into small groups for a lot of class discussions, activities, and projects, providing many opportunities to learn the material together, and then to experiment and practice.  This kind of practice is also very important.  Being aware of differences among individuals cognitively is one thing.  Being able to deal with the differences and work together effectively is something quite different.  

The Socially responsible Leadership module explore important issues such as: (1) is leadership a process or a position? the DePaul University Framework, the Maryland developed skill set and practices, and the Social Change Model; (2) The Cultural Connection - culture at your university, culture at your host country, and interacting with other cultures through the service project; (3) SRL in business: corporate social responsibility, case studies, trends.  We have learned from experience that students do not learn social responsibility automatically through exposure alone.  Purposeful reading and discussions are necessary.   

The Digital Divide Module cover the technology content of the course:  (1) What is the digital divide? (2) Divide of Access - to computers, connectivity, speeds, volume, price, … (3) Divide of Content - languages, … (3) Usability and Accessibility.  (4) Divide of Empowerment - ability, information accessible, …  (4) Samples of interesting solutions.  These form the basis for the students to start to develop appropriate solutions to address real world problems.  

These modules form the core academic content of the subject. Then there are projects for practice.  For PolyU students, the study continues with a serious service-learning project, in Hong Kong, Cambodia or Rwanda.  Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the projects have mostly moved online.   More on that later. 

9c1 - Digital Leadership - Socially responsible Global Leadership in a Digital World

Long before service-learning became a requirement for the undergraduate programs in 2010, Dr. Grace Ngai and Dr. Stephen Chan have been running service-learning projects driven by information technology, first in Hong Kong from the early 2000s, then in Mainland China starting from 2006, and in Cambodia starting from 2010.  In 2011, they proposed one of the first service-learning subjects at PolyU - COMP2S01 “Technology beyond borders”.   It was designed to accept any student from any discipline, and aimed at carrying out information technology-related projects across national, language, ethnic, culture, …, boundaries.  We were, and remain, confident through successful implementation, that we can train any intelligent and motivated student in the needed technology - graphical programming, multimedia, robotics, basic electricity, solar panels, ebook writing, … - to carry out meaningful and impactful solutions for some social need.  

Subsequently, the team realised that an entry-level service-learning subject such as COMP2S01 cannot handle projects that require stronger professional expertise.  Hence there is a need to develop a discipline-specific version of the subject, COMP3911 “Service-Learning in the Information Age” - in order to tackle more technologically challenging projects.  This is designed for students who major in computer science or related disciplines.  They are then capable of carrying out projects that require more advanced skills such as rigorous programming, game design, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and other advanced skills.  These students can then tackle projects such as developing database systems, interactive web sites, special purpose computer games, etc.

Later on, the team recognize the desirability to further advance service-learning through  explicitly incorporating leadership education into the subject.  The result is COMP3S02, “Socially Responsible Global Leadership in a Digital World”.  As the name indicates, the subject integrates service-learning, leadership and globalisation in one subject.  As the three major elements complement each other, we are able to squeeze a significant amount content into a 3-credit course as much of the material serve multiple purposes.  

Hence we currently have a rich set of courses with different focus: (1) an entry-level subject on cross-cultural, information technology-driven SL, open to all, (2) a discipline-specific, more advanced subject on information technology-driven SL, and (3) a subject on Socially Responsible Leadership (SRL) through SL.  Using this repertoire of courses, we are able  to develop collaboration with other departments within PolyU, teaching jointly with other universities across the globe, experiment with innovative pedagogy such as online teaching of SL, online execution of SL, and more.  We have also brought in Dr. Peter Ng and Dr. Shuheng Lin to our teaching team. We are growing in so many ways.

The following sections will discuss some of the major undertakings.  

SLS-9b From OSL to SLLO

Service-Learning and Leadership were adopted as twin pillars of the General University Requirement in late 2010, to come into effect with the first cohort of 4-year undergraduate programs who entered PolyU in 2012.  The Leadership courses develop a student’s personal attributes while service-learning develop the social aspects. complementing each other.   While we were teaching the service-learning courses, we became more convinced that a student needs leadership skills to succeed in service-learning.  On the other hand, service-learning provides a perfect platform to practice and internalise leadership skills and attitudes.  

Leadership is certainly a useful skill when the students work in a team, particularly when that team is composed of students who do not know each other, who come from different academic disciplines, and perhaps even nationalities, ethnic and cultural background.  It is needed when they tackle an open-ended social problem without clear boundaries nor rules in the reality of the messy real world - as opposed to clearly defined problems  with closed-ended solutions carefully-constructed by their professors in the classroom.  It is particularly relevant when they deal with flesh-and-blood people with real needs, expectations and vulnerabilities, without the required resources and finances, but with serious consequences - by definition when one is dealing with disadvantaged people.  On the flip side, service-learning provides the ideal setting to test and validate concepts and skills learned academically in classrooms.  It also builds confidence through experience, hopefully small failures, and overcoming challenges.  In the process students discover themselves, develop their own leadership models and build character.  

Equally importantly, the experience gave us teachers the motivation and confidence to integrate leadership education with service-learning. This results partially from necessity.  We need to teach planning, communication, coordination, and negotiation skills that facilitate team work.  We need to teach understanding, accommodation and reconciliation of diverse viewpoints to deal with the real world of social issues.  We need to guide the students in synthesising diverse contributions to formulate effective actions and solutions. Hence, gradually we experiment with projects, courses, and programs with integrate service-learning and leadership education together.  The success of these actions gave us the confidence not only that we can capable of the integration, and that the integration is fruitful.  

In the mean time, we are also increasingly internationalising service-learning. This is internationalization in the sense of dealing purposefully with diverse nationalities, languages, cultural traditions and practices, religious faiths, political systems, economic systems and more. Even within the small physical space of Hong Kong, these challenges are increasingly obvious and pertinent, in the form of ethnic minorities who settled here a long time ago, recent immigration, cross-border travel, commerce and employment, influx of refugees, …   Service-learning has also proven to be very attractive, challenging, and powerful both in terms of student learning and community impact.  

Another dimensions that has become more obvious is the role of technology.  PolyU has a very rich science and technology heritage.  More than half of our academic programs are in science and technology.  A majority of our service-learning are technology-driven, or the service is enhanced by significant use of technology, or the teaching/service is facilitated by the use of technology, particularly digital technology.    There is a natural intersection between digital technology and leadership - digital leadership!  More will be discussed subsequently.    

 

Around 2018, while PolyU was engaged in the process of re-writing the Strategic Plan, the management was also considering the positioning of a small team under the office of the Vice-President for Student Development, Prof. Angelina Yuen, which had been working on projects on leadership training in the international context.  The team, led by Ms. Helena Au, had been trying to incorporate some form of service-learning into their projects and share some common objectives with the Office of Service-Learning.  In the end, it was decided to incorporate the team into OSL and rename the office as Service-Learning and Leadership Office, to reflect the expanded scope of the office.  

Hope

It is so depressing, isn’t it?

When the arrogant makes a mess and blames everyone except herself?

When those with the weapons beat up those without, without impunity?

When educated people use their knowledge to dress up the ugly work of the oppressor?

Where is justice? you ask.

Where is fairness?

Where is compassion?

Is there still hope? you ask yourself.

We have to believe that there is

because otherwise it is just too miserable to continue.  

There is, in fact sufficient evidence that there may still be some good remaining, and therefore hope. 

Look around.

There is still beauty.

In the way people care for each other, even though they are themselves in trouble.

In the way people insist on speaking the truth, living truthfully, even when they try hard not to get hurt. 

In the objects around us.

Natural things made by God.

Objects that we can make with our own hands.  

Even the power-hungry, the self-aggrandised, the self-serving, those who sold their soul, the misguided, carry out their evil deeds in the name of “goodness”, “justice”, “peace’.  

No one can refute the supreme value of goodness - even when people try to use their good name to cover up ugliness, hatred, suppression, self-interest, exploitation.

There is still goodness.

There is still hope.  

God is still here. 

Don’t let evil win. 

SLS-9a Service-Learning and Leadership Office - Socially Responsible Global Citizens

Every five years, PolyU updates its Strategic Plan.  Around 2017-18, much discussion were conducted in preparation for the then upcoming 2019/20-2024/25 Strategic Plan.  By the time, we had graduated several cohorts of students who have all completed the Service-Learning Requirement. The positive learning outcomes achieved by the students  have been evident through so many channels - the quality and impact of the projects that they carry out, the performance and enthusiasm of the students, the material interest from donors and other stake holders, as well as results from rigorous research.  Under the section “PolyU Today”, it says, 

“The University’s pioneering Service-Learning programme integrates academic study with community service, inspiring students to apply professional knowledge and skills to serve the underprivileged and give back to society. To date, nearly 13,000 students have spent more than 510,000 hours providing services for over 68,000 needy people in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and overseas.”

As a result, when it was proposed to include social responsibility as a desired graduate attribute, it was quickly accepted by the working group.  The Mission Statement in the new Strategic Plan now reads, partially, 

“… To nurture critical thinkers, effective communicators, innovative problem solvers and socially responsible global citizens. …”

Under “Quality of the Student Experience of Teaching and Learning”, it says

“… Identify themes of interdisciplinary Service-Learning and social innovation projects for deeper and broader impact. …”

Under “Knowledge Transfer and Wider Engagement”, 

“… Integrate identified themes into interdisciplinary Service-Learning and social innovation projects for deeper and broader impact. …”

Under “Enhanced Internationalization and Engaging the Nation”, very much inline with our strong effort on international service-learning, 

“… Strive to provide every undergraduate student with an opportunity to take a student mobility programme outside Hong Kong, and diversify students’ nonlocal learning opportunities. …”

There is plenty of evidence that service-learning and community engagement is now a critical element of PolyU education, very much part of PolyU culture.  We have come a long way since 2010, when the Senate decided to make service-learning credit-bearing and compulsory.  

SLS-8d3d - The Execution

We will now describe the execution of the project in some detail, so that interested parties can visualise better how the project is carried out, without being physically present.  The experience could be useful for people who are contemplating similar projects. 

The preparation stage of the solar panel project starts in Hong Kong, approximately six months before the deployment in Rwanda. The project team undergoes a series of about 36 hours of structured and rigorous training in the form of lectures, seminars, group discussions and technical workshops. This equips students with the necessary background (historical and cultural) knowledge, technical knowledge, and skills using relevant hand tools. The second phase of training starts when the project team arrives in Rwanda.  Together with the Bridging Team, they spent about 8 hours in testing and training to finalize the design, assemble the solar panel system, lights, switches, controllers, etc. and test all the partially-assembled sub-systems. This on-site training  and preparation allowed the project team students to transfer their knowledge and skills to the bridging team. Finally, the systems were deployed in the village. During deployment, the project and bridging teams worked with the community team to install the system. Through teaching by demonstration, team members were able to master the technical skills, and some of them were able to help maintain the equipment in the long run. 

Since 2015, this project has successfully wired up an entire village of almost 350 households in Kigali province. Per-household, the amount of electricity made available is not large – a single charging station of 240W serves around 30-50 households – but even this small amount of electricity has made its impact. The LED lights - generally less than 10 watts each, with 3-4 per each household - enable the family to extend its working hours for several hours beyond sundown for household work, such as study, fellowship, and visiting. The capacity for mobile phone charging makes it unnecessary for the villagers to walk long distances, often over 2 hours to charge the phones. A small rechargeable radio, which we added after in 2017, provides news and much-treasured entertainment, and a connection to the outside world. One family told us that since the light was installed at their home, their children’s schoolmates from neighboring villages often come to study on the weekends, which appears to have positively impacted their children’s school performance. Another family told us that they now no longer need to send their children to bring the mobile phone for charging at the village center, thus their children can go to school on time (they previously used to bring the mobile phone for charging twice a week before school). 

In addition, some indirect benefits have also been observed. The most obvious indirect beneficiaries have been the young people from community team. Some of them have been involved in the project since its inception. This experience has enabled them to build up their skills, to the point where some of them are able to execute the project on their own. A particularly encouraging example is the family of one of the young people who had been involved in the community team. Their house had been wired during the project, but shortly afterwards, the family built a new house. Using the tools that we had given them to carry out repairs, they successfully dismantled the entire electrical system from the old house and installed it in their new house. Inspection by the project team teachers confirmed the good quality of the work, with properly-secured wires and robust connections. 

The success of this project, obviously, depended on long-term collaboration, having evolved over several years. In the process of designing, revising and executing the project, the university project team, the NGO bridging team, and the community team built up trust and respect for each other, and all sides grew in experience, confidence and capacity. This is demonstrated in the growth in the number of households served per project, both in absolute terms and as a function of the size of the project team. The collaboration developed into a base on which we can launch projects into other dimensions of quality of life besides electricity. In 2019, two additional teams were brought in to join the project in Rwanda: tackling SDG#2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG#15 (Life on Land) through a vegetable garden and a rocket stove project. 

These results has been published in greater detail in a conference paper: Kenneth W. K. Lo, Stephen C. F. Chan, Grace Ngai, John Kalenzi, Phanuuel Sindayehaba, Innocent Habiyareye. “From Beneficiary to Community Leader: Capacity Building through a Renewable Energy Project in Rwanda,” 10th IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC 2019), Oct 29 – Nov 1, 2019, Seattle, Washingtin, USA.

SLS-8d3c - Community Capacity Building Model

Changing from the household-based model to the community-based model posed two challenges.  One is the increase in the level of the technical challenge, in terms of the increased technical difficulties in the design, implementation and maintenance of the solar charging stations.  The other is the greatly increased scale of the overall project, the need for much more well-trained manpower, the complexity of the logistical planning and management, and the procurement of the required equipment and materials.  To turn the new plan into reality, the focus had to be shifted more towards building up the capacity of the local community to take up much of the project themselves.  

On the other hand, passing along relevant knowledge and skills has always been part of our objective. It is, in fact, the high order one.  Building something of value to the community is valuable service. But helping the community help themselves is a more long term, sustainable approach.  But it is difficult to figure out what the need is, what skills to pass along, who to pass it to, and how to actually do it.  Obviously it takes much effort, perseverance, and mutual trust.  It does not happen often.  

A tripartite capacity building model was developed to address these challenges in our Rwanda solar panel project. The model involves (1) a Project Team of multidisciplinary members from PolyU, (2) a Bridging Team from the frontline NGO partner and/or local university and (3) a Community Team of resident community youths.  The Project Team of teachers and students (mostly Chinese with some foreign students at PolyU) are those participating in a service-learning course from PolyU. The teachers are the primary designers of the project, in collaboration with the bridging team partner NGO, AEE Rwanda. 

The Bridging Team consists of individual Rwandans who are local to the national culture and context, though not necessarily to the specific local community (in Gikomero). AEE Rwanda, having been serving the local community for some time, identifies the community (village in Gicaca) and negotiates with community stakeholders on the specifics of the community engagement, i.e. entering, building and exiting the community. The bridging team also consists of student volunteers from the local universities (coming from all over Rwanda), who usually join the project out of curiosity, either about the project itself, or about the incoming team, and a desire to help their fellow countrymen. They serve as peer guides to our students on the project team and translate the project team students’ engagement into the local culture and context. 

The Community Team comprises of resident community youths living in Gicaca. They have the most intimate knowledge of the community and also have the most to gain from the success of the project. Their empowerment can be seen as the critical ingredient for success.  However, because of the relatively low level of education achieved and English proficiency, it is also one of the most difficult to ensure. Together with AEE, the project team teachers designed a certificate-bearing learning program. AEE then promoted this learning program to the community and enrolled a sizeable group of young people. They have to (1) have some level of basic education (i.e. be able to read and write in their native language), and (2) have a reputation for commitment, integrity and responsibility in the community.  The learning program that we devised in the Rwanda context is a just-in-time, learning-by-doing model that resembles the “industrial training” modules mandatory for engineering students in Hong Kong. The community team youth work alongside the project and bridging team of university students to carry out and implement the project. Hence, the project essentially serves as a practical learning program.

On to the next step.  Can they manage a big project without us being there in person - but only remotely through the Internet?   This is actually a project being planned fore summer 2021, while these words are being written.  

Remember

SLS-8d3b - The Community-based Charging Station Model

After the successful installation of solar panels in 44 households in 2015, discussions with our NGO partner - AEE Rwanda - and community members on the experience resulted in a number of observations:  (1) Due to the low consumption of the electrical devices, it was not necessary to charge the battery every day, hence the solar panels were not fully utilised;  (2) The households with the solar panels were uncomfortable when so many of their neighbours could not benefit; (3) AEE Rwanda felt confident of supporting a larger scale implementation.  

Based on these observations, we realised that our design had worked as expected, but the need was impossibly great, and indeed there were plenty of room for improvement on the design.  We then came up with a modified Community-based Model, building on not only the communal, sharing culture common in the rural communities, but also encouraged through the self-help group model very successfully promoted by AEE Rwanda. AEE helped us identify households “of reputation” in the community, who would act as “hosts” for solar “charging stations”. A set of 12 solar panels (240W) would be installed permanently on the roof of the host’s house - the villagers felt they are safe enough up there on the roof.  Subsequent experience had proved them right.  Putting them up on the high roof is challenging but doable - given their dexterity and experience working on the roof.   And we had not lost even one single panel to thieves in 5 years.  

The panels on the roof are connected to 6 individual 20A PMW controllers inside the house. The host would designate one room that would be wired up as a charging room, where community members could plug in their batteries to be charged.  The host would be responsible for maintaining the security of the system and making it available for the community. In return, the host’s home would be wired and connected directly to the solar panel system, thus ensuring a constant supply of electricity.  The other households would need to carry their batteries to the host for charging.  Most of them live within 20 minutes on foot from one of the charging stations.  A battery can be fully charged in about half a day, and the charge can be used to power a house for about one week.  These infrequent, relatively short trips (for them) were considered an acceptable price for access to electricity, and spreading the benefits over a much wider group of fellow villagers. 

The immediate benefit of this new design was quite a sizeable increase in the number of households that could be served by the project, without having to make a huge increase in budget and team size. Since the cost (purchase and transportation) of the small electrical appliances and wiring were much smaller compared with the solar panels and controllers, this allowed the project to benefit many more households, with only an incremental increase in cost. We can now realistically aim to cover whole villages with hundreds of households.  We are also able to bring in more manpower by involving the local people more in the project.  

SLS-8d3a - The Individual Household-based Model

Our solar energy projects started in Rwanda in 2015, in Gasabo District in Kigali Province, Rwanda. Even though the community in Gikomero is only 20 kilometers away from the capital city, Kigali, the steeply hilly terrain, relatively infertile soil, lack of irrigation and low level of agricultural technology kept agricultural productivity low. Poor roads and lack of funds for transportation isolates the community from the outside world. As a result, practically all of the population in this area are too poor even to afford improvised electrical setups (such as car batteries) commonly used in other developing communities to compensate for poor national infrastructure. The households rely on candles or kerosene to provide light, and many cannot afford to purchase even these basic materials. The lack of electricity, in turn, makes television and even radio a luxury, further isolating the rural communities from the cities. 

The rural communities are trapped in a vicious cycle from which it is very difficult to escape. Many young people, upon finishing secondary school, cannot find a job in the city and find themselves stuck in the village farming as their parents did, but the small size of the individual plots, the low level of technology available and the energy poverty  make it hard for the farmers themselves to advance beyond subsistence farming. Their isolation is such that they have no way to find out whether and when jobs are available, making them frustrated without a way out.  In their village up on the hills, there is no newspaper, no television, and few radios. They can hardly afford the batteries to run a small transistor radio even if they have one.  The public buses reach only as far as the small clump of houses at the foot of the hills, 10 kilometres away.  Kigali is practically unreachable, physically as well as developmentally, for most of them.  

We started in 2015 with an individual household-based model of a self-contained electrical power system.  Each household was given a 40W solar panel.  A battery was connected to the panel to store the electricity generated during the day, for use overnight. We wiring up each household with basic electrical infrastructure, with low-consumption LED lights (one 12W LED and two 5W LED), a 2A USB charger for cell phones and a rechargeable radio, all powered from the battery.  The solar panel is moveable, so that it can be brought out to operate under the sun during the day, and brought back in during the evening for safe-keeping.   We successfully installed 44 such systems in a two-week period in the summer of 2015.   We were exhausted, but we were exhilarated when the systems worked and we were able to see how exited the families were.  

44 families have electricity now. But what about the hundreds of families in the same village who are still living in the dark?  And the hundreds of villages beyond?  

SLS-8d3 Capacity Building in Rwanda

Most of our service-learning projects align with one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.  One of our flagship projects started in Rwanda in 2013.  Quickly, we realised that one of the most fundamental needs of the country, to which we might be able to make a meaningful contribution, is related to SDG#7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).  In the process, we developed together with our local partner, a method related to SDG#17 (Partnership for the Goals – Capacity Building). 

Devastated by a genocide in the early 1990s, Rwanda was until recently considered one of the poorest countries in sub-saharan Africa. Even though economic growth has been high for several years recently, a very large portion of the population is still desperately poor, with an average GDP per capita of USD 743 in 2017 and USD 845 in 2021. Electrification is speeding up, but a large majority of their population – up to 77% of households as of 2015 – are not served by the public utility companies, and suffer from serious electricity and poverty.   On the other hand, Rwanda sits right on the equator, blessed with plenty of sunlight all year round - perfect for the exploitation of solar energy.   The government is building large scale solar panel farms with multi-megawatt capacity.  But it will still take many years to electrify the whole country.  There is plenty of room for small scale solar power installations to fill in the gap.  This is where groups like us can chip in - in terms of installing small scale systems and building up the capacity of the local community in the relevant skills. 

Starting in 2015, PolyU partnered with a local NGO in Rwanda, African Evangelical Enterprise (AEE) Rwanda, in a four-year collaborative effort to electrify a semi-rural village in Rwanda with solar power. For impact and sustainability, we developed a three-tier capacity building model that combined efforts from university students (who provide the technical expertise), strengths and expertise of a local partner NGO (who had previously developed a community support infrastructure in the form of strong self-help groups), and community commitment and support (who provide the manpower initially and subsequently acquired the technical capacity).