Nothing in a developing country is ever easy, even if it looks clean and clear on paper, once in the field the troubles always begin. It sounds straightforward to businesses in America; stop using kerosene; use an LED light that is not only more inexpensive-but also better for one’s health and the environment. It is convincing people who have never seen or heard about these consequences, what is right and what is wrong. I have seen situations like these in Tanzania before, too many times-and it still gets me. In The Gambia I lived it as a Peace Corps volunteer where I sat by a fire nightly with my host family, holding discussions focused on not about what they want but what they need. A rural village of twenty; using kerosene at night unaware of all the health consequences, the ground filled with polluted debris being used as the children’s playground, unsanitary drinking water from an uncovered well, and barely having the funds to afford a bag of rice while living on ground zero for the food crisis.
In Nepal as a volunteer teacher I lived in a similar poverty stricken environment at a school in the Himalayas. The only power source was from miles away, no studying; our only option at night was to sleep. The children, most refugees from Tibet, and I slept on a wood floor. At night I heard stories of their life without light, water, and power; something that Americans couldn’t fathom to live without. To us these are necessities; to them a convenience. At sunrise the children and I walked a mile to bath at a community well, the line of villagers wrapping around the hillside and the foul smelling well being the only water source in town. All these countries and projects produce difficult challenges and endless questions. With these discussions and experiences, I have learned to make every effort to understand these communities’ values, expectations and strategies that they develop to meet their daily needs. With this understanding, we can then learn how to implement projects that will be sustainable and vital to the energy poor communities.
Unfortunately, I have also observed the effects of failed projects in the field. The solar panels that become broken and unused, computers that crash due to lack of power, water pumps damaged and in need of maintenance, water filtration devises that become toys for the young children, books that develop into the source for a families cooking fire; the list is endless. How do we produce clean technology without further polluting the planet and stop producing technology trash in developing countries? It is disappointing to see projects fail. Many failures come from lack of community surveys and ignorance on the villager’s culture and values. These daily challenges that the energy poor face- one can only learn how to attack this challenge by working out in the field where the obstacles begun. Asking the local’s, going to the villages, and learning their lifestyle to figure out how to implement the appropriate project in that developing country. It is imperative to remember that even if projects sound flawless, it may not be suitable for the selected community.
I believe dissigno is on the right track; to implement small businesses and work with local entrepreneurs to create a sustainable lifestyle and environment. By providing the entrepreneurs with the skills and technology, the entrepreneur can then proceed to take control of the evolving situation by using their own problem solving techniques and providing the community with reliable income flow. This project, like all, will take steady monitoring, assessment, and on site revisions in order to succeed. If managed properly and assessing the local’s needs, I predict we will come closer to our goal of helping developing countries create a sustainable, healthy, and safe environment that before long will stand on its own.
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