One of the cooler projects that I have been a part of in Guatemala came to fruition in November. It was a solar energy project in my friend, Fife's, former PC community. This is the same community that I took over the administration of funds for a Small Project Assistance grant from USAid to construct improved wood burning stoves. They haven't ever had electricity and relied solely on kerosene, batteries, and candles. I had participated in a meeting back in March with this community and my PC boss where we analyzed how much each community member was spending on batteries, gas, and candles a month. Then we talked about these solar kits that they could install in their homes and how much money they would end up saving, as well as have much less of a negative impact on the environment. I got back from the Dominican Republic on the 8th of November. We had a party that night in Antigua for our good friend Nick, who was finishing his PC service. Then the 9th I left for my site. I didn't get home until 6pm that night. Then on the morning of the 10th, my PC boss picked me up in his car at 7:30 in order to go to Sanimtaka, a community located about an hour further into the mountainside from my community. We took the PC jeep as far as it could make it and then hiked down into the community about 45 minutes in the cold wind and rain.
This project was a result of the determination of the community members to improve their daily lives with lights in their homes, the organization and work of my PC boss Flavio, the generosity and assistance of the people at Quetsol (a local business who reduced the price of the solar kits, as well as came to the community to deliver the kits and lead demonstrations and trainings on the installation and maintenance of the kits), and the US government's support through a grant from ECPA-SPA. That morning the men from the community carried down four kits at a time on their backs from the truck we parked up the mountainside. There were 45 kits in total. The community paid two thirds of the cost and the grant from ECPA-SPA paid for the other third. There were only a handful of the community members that couldn't pay in full and the cooperative covered the extra cost and created a loan system for them.
The guys from Quetsol talked with the community members about good practices and how to properly install and maintain the battery, panel, bulbs, and control box. All of this information was of course translated into q'eqchi, the indigenous language here. Then we did some formal presentations of the first kit. You'll find some cool pictures from this event in the Picasa album 4. Then we separated into groups to install several kits in houses so everyone could learn the basics and how to's. The community of Sanimtaka was so grateful for the help of Peace Corps and Quetsol in bringing solar energy to their community. I can only imagine how different their little village looks now at night. From the initial meeting I remember someone speaking up and saying they wanted these light bulbs so that their kids could read at night and study for school. They were currently sharing a candle and could barely see at night to do their homework. This is something so basic that we all take for granted, the ability to see in our own homes at night. Having this little bit of light in their household will hopefully create a multitude of improvements in the lives of this community's young people. In reference to the blog post's title and song we learned in vacation bible school as kids, no one is going to be able to come and 'WOOF OUT' the light of this community.
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