Because of covid-19, we can only bring 9 students and 6 staff this year. But we are working with 30 students and staff from Center for Champions (CFC), and several staff from African Evangelical Enterprise Rwanda (AEE Rwanda).
We spent 2 days training the CFC students on the installation of solar panels and the wiring of houses, at CFC in the city of Rwamagan. Then the team travel to a village south of Rwamagana, to install the solar panels. We are installing solar panels for 200 houses. Without the CFC students it would be impossible for our PolyU team to do that.
In fact, the CFC team had worked with us before. Last year, we couldn’t come because of covid-19. So we trained the CFC students online, shipped 2 tons of material here, and guided the CFC students to install the solar panels. It worked. But without us here to train them, we could not correct mistakes, trouble shoot problems, improve the workmanship, and can only use very basic and simple methods. This year, we are able to train them better, improve the overall quality of the work, try out new and better solutions.
The students learn an important skill, working with solar panels, which is important while the whole country is electrifying quickly. Some of them live around the area and are able to do small scale maintenance on the systems. In the process they can make a little money. Their skills may help them find employment in the future. The injection of the financial incentive may also stimulate more investment in solar energy.
In the mean time, the tow groups work together as a team, learning from each other and helping each other. The local youth are serving their own community. The local community is very grateful. Our partner AEE is very happy to see all these happening.
And we are happy that we are part of this.
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