Two Wilsonville Rotarians will be among a dozen people from the Oregon Institute of Technology who depart Oregon for Tanzania on July 13. Their mission? To bring solar energy to a remote area in the East African nation.
The project, done under the auspices of a Portland nonprofit called Solar Hope, was inspired when a Tanzanian girl fell asleep while reading by lantern light. Her entire dormitory burned down, killing the students inside. It’s something the group members don’t want to see happen again.
“I hope to change the lives of Tanzanian villagers as well as gain a good understanding of solar technology and how it applies to energy development in rural areas,” said Ross Ponder, a Rotarian and graduate student at OIT’s Wilsonville campus.
The Rotary Club of Wilsonville raised $8,000 to fund the installation of solar panels at rural schools and clinics. This will enable clinics to have electricity for medical procedures and cooking medications. Schools will have power for lights and computers.
“The contributions to education are clear,” Ponder said. “Lighting will improve education by allowing students to study at night. Also, those who work during the day from collecting wood and water to earning money for rice and beans — basically everyone — will finally be able to improve their education by attending classes at night.”
The Rotary funds include $5,000 from the Wilsonville club, $1,000 from the Rotary Club of Tualatin, and $2,000 from Rotary District 5100, which serves Rotary clubs in northern Oregon and southern Washington.
Professor Hope Corsair is the other Wilsonville Rotarian taking part in the trip. In all, OIT is sending two instructors and 10 students — six undergraduates and four graduate students.
The group will land in the city of Dar Es Salaam, a port on the Indian Ocean, on July 15. Soon after, they will head for the Iringa region to review the old installation and install new ones. Next, they will drive to Lake Nyasa for more installations. After that, possibly to Sonyer for irrigation work. And finally, they’ll head back to Lindi, near the coast, for more installations.
“We will proceed north from here into Masailand,” Ponder said. “At the end of the Masailand section of our trip we will embark on a safari.”
At that point, the official trip will end, around October 15. Some group members are headed home at that time, while others will stay longer and attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is at 19,341 feet the highest point in Africa and tallest freestanding mountain in the world. But it’s the work on solar energy projects that will leave a lasting impact — not just on the villagers of Tanzania, but on the group from OIT.
“Quality of life will also improve due an electric lighting source instead of burning a fuel for light,” Ponder said. “This cuts down on medical complications from inhalation of fumes and the poverty reinforcement continually buying fuel instills.”