CIRCLE OF LIGHT PROGRAM

THE LIGHTING AND COOKING SYSTEMS.

We are in the business of equipping rural Kenyan homes with modern energy, cooking & lighting, and uplift their community in the areas of Economic Enterprise Development, Health, Education, Training, and the Environment.

There is a critical lack of modern energy available to people living in the rural areas of developing countries. For energy needs in the home, people are thus forced to resort to:

•  Cooking: - scavenging for firewood, or buying bags for charcoal

•  Lighting: - candles, or kerosene lamps

These fuels are inefficient, unsafe, unhealthy, wasteful, and damaging to the environment. For broader community needs, there is no energy to support:

• Health
• Economic Development
• Communications
• Training

There is no modern energy available in the rural areas because developing country governments cannot afford to get it there. The costs are astronomical, and with little or no return, i.e.

Costs:

•  The cost to run power lines into the rural areas is very high:~ $18,000 per mile in easy terrain.

•  There are additional costs to run drops and meters into each home:$500 - $ 1,000 per home

•  The cost to maintain rural electric lines is high

Revenue:

•  Due to low income levels, there is very little (or no) revenue coming from the most rural homes.

•  It is costly (and probably impossible) to make ‘collections' of payment due from rural homeowners

There is generally no high- use in the rural areas

Risks:

•  In many developing countries, most electrical power delivered to the rural areas is simply stolen, illegal line tapping

•  Often the wires of rural lines are stolen for their copper content

•  Thus for energy needs the people are left to end fend for themselves

OUR APPROACH

Key program activities

In – Home System

Deliver in home cooking and lighting system to rural home owners, cooking is by way of an LP cylinder and two burners stove. Lighting is via a 12VDC, battery – powered fluorescent lighting systems

Energy Stores

Establish “Energy Stores” in select rural areas. Each “Energy Store” is operated as a small enterprise which derives its revenue from cylinders by refilling empty ones, and the recharging of depleted lighting system batteries. Each “Energy Store” is owned and operated by local ‘community – Based Organization‘(CBO) and is run as a simple rural energy cooperative