Community energy library: A case study in Koloo Village, Kenya
This project also has a Changeshop where you can read more about its latest progress.
Go to Changeshop: Community energy library: A case study in Koloo Village, Kenya.
Increase accessibility to efficient renewable energy utilization technologies and reduce loss of opportunities for income generation due to lack of information and communication technology(ICT).Training and service centers in koloo village will be established. The activities of the library will also be used to identify economic potential of the women(especially widows)and the youth. Capacity building to improve their production capacity and entrepreneurship ability undertaken for increased market competitiveness. Revenue generated through the library services will be used to up-scale the project and avail revolving funds for small scale business start up by registered members of the village.
About You
About You
First Name
Jacob
Last Name
Mbego
twitter.com/mbegoos
Facebook Profile
www.facebook.com/jacob onjwaya mbego
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Chepkoilel University College: A constituent of Moi University
Organization Website
Organization Country
Kenya, RV
Country where this project is creating social impact
Kenya
Is your organization a
Government
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
Innovation
Entry Form title
Community energy library: A case study in Koloo Village, Kenya
What change do you want to bring to the world?
Increase accessibility to efficient renewable energy utilization technologies and reduce loss of opportunities for income generation due to lack of information and communication technology(ICT).Training and service centers in koloo village will be established. The activities of the library will also be used to identify economic potential of the women(especially widows)and the youth. Capacity building to improve their production capacity and entrepreneurship ability undertaken for increased market competitiveness. Revenue generated through the library services will be used to up-scale the project and avail revolving funds for small scale business start up by registered members of the village.
What are the primary activities of your project?
The Community Energy Library project (CELP) will be designed to bring social integration leading to shared responsibility and improved livelihoods of members of the Koloo community. CELP will achieve these by setting up a community owned energy library. The library will make available improved cleaner renewable energy utilization and application technologies (LED lamps, SEEFS biomass stoves, and biogas cooking and baking center) for hire at a subsidized price to the community members. In addition other renewable energy services (charging of mobile phones, car batteries, and solar radios) will be offered at a reduced cost. solar operated water purifier installed for domestic water purification. The center will also make available information on traditional methods on diseases control and traditional food combination for balanced diet. ICT center powered by solar energy for training and services will be established to benefit the local entrepreneurs, farmers, rural students, teachers and other stakeholders. Disease burden arising from indoor air pollution due to use of paraffin for lighting and use of non efficient firewood and charcoal stoves in poorly ventilated houses will be reduced. Money and time saved from acquiring basic domestic energy and reduced medical bills will be used for income generating activities. Knowledge and services obtained from ICT and biogas cooking center will be used to initiate economic activities and open up private investments opportunities. accessibility to local and non local markets will be increased through capacity building and information and communication technology services.
What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?
The current trend is sale of renewable energy technologies products to consumers. The initial costs of acquiring them are beyond the reach of poor people. Sometime the products sold are of poor quality. There is also no after sale services,limiting the accessibility and acquisition of such technologies by the poor. Traditional knowledge on diseases control and balance diet is disappearing with the death of old people, this need to be changed. Most ICT training and service centers are in urban centers. The costs of attaining ICT training and living in such centers are high for rural population. A lot of opportunities are also lost. This project is innovative since it will not sell the products to the community but only sell services of the renewable energy technologies at subsidized price.The quality products and needed maintenance or repair costs will be the responsibility of the Library management. Basic information on traditional herbs availed for members. This approach is currently not being used in many developing countries. This approach has high potential in attracting private investment.
The project will achieve the following:
1) Increase accessibility to quality cleaner renewable energy products and efficient/appropriate technologies for subsistence and income generation.
2) Subsidize the acquisition of cleaner energy services for subsistence and income generation
3) Increase accessibility to and subsidizes ICT training and services for rural people
4) Preserve traditional knowledge and increase economic potential of the people through capacity building.
What stage is your project in?
Idea phase
Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.
Paraffin is the only fuel type used for lighting. The cost of acquiring it is increasing beyond the reach of many members. Lamps are used very close to the eyes for improved visibility at night. This increases indoor air pollution problems to women and children who uses the lamps for a longer period of time when preparing food preparation and undertaking their studies. Light emitting diode (LED) lamps are needed.There is general increased usage of highly polluting biomass for domestic heat production, leading to increased indoor air pollution. Increased distance covered by women and girl child in search of firewood take much of their time for social and income generating activities. These problems are compounded by the use of inefficient and non fuel saving stoves. Clean and efficient burning stoves (SEEFS) with 65% efficiency on fuel saving are needed.AIDS/HIV pandemic greatly affected wife inheritance cultural practice in Koloo village. Today most widows face social isolation. Bio-gas center for baking and fish smoking will act as women social and economic integration center.Community members are loosing income generating opportunities associated with ICT services. The center is needed to open up the village for competitive income generating and job opportunities. There is also un-taped potential due to lack of capacity building for widows and the youth requiring identification and shaping.
Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project
Jacob Mbego is a member of Koloo community.His family was extremely poor. Members of the village raised funds for his secondary and university education. He obtained MSc degree in Forest Industries Technologies, majoring in Biomass energy technologies design, and minor forest products(herbal trees and shrubs). Mbego is doing a lot of research on biomass energy combustion stoves and biogas plants design, most of which are only benefiting medium to high income population due to high costs of acquiring them. He is also interested in the use of traditional knowledge in diseases management. His Koloo community members are currently facing a cute shortage of energy products and appropriate technologies, lagging behind in information and communication technology and suffering from increased disease burden. To pay back to the community, Jacob believe a community energy library where services of renewable energy products and appropriate technologies are made available at subsidized costs is needed . He also wants to open up his community by initiating rural based ICT training centers and services and to help identify the economic potentials of the under privileged and improve their competitiveness through training. Mbego also believe that a well established community energy library model with relevant activities can attract private investors because the market is available. With the changing cultural practices, Mbego believes that new approach is needed to integrate the widows and their children and help them fend for themselves.Hence community energy library activities is needed.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured
1)A solar energy powered center to charge LED lamps and hire them out established. A bout 1,200 charged high quality and long lasting LED lamps will be available per week. Each lamp hired at a rate of US$ 0.25 per week, US$ 1,500 generated per month.
2)About 1,200 SEEFS stoves produced and each hired out to households at US$ 1.25 per month, US$ 1,500 generated per month.
3)Two biogas plants capable of producing a total 40-50 M3 combustible gas per day will be built, 2,400 loaves of bread, or 5,600 pieces of burns or queen cakes baked per day. Each biogas plant hired at US$ 50 per day for 20 days in a month, US$ 2,000 generated per month.
4)About 20 solar powered computers will be installed and internet connected. Training and internet service will generate abut US$ 1,000 per month.
5)Provision of other energy related services like charging of mobile phones, solar radio, and car batteries, hair cuts, and showing TV programs like foot ball matches etc, US$ 600 generated per month.
6)Use of net profit and capacity building of the locals undertaken, for future sustainability and scaling up of the project.
How many people have been impacted by your project?
101-1,000
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
More than 10,000
How will your project evolve over the next three years?
The project will be scaled up by the net profit generated. Possibility of private investors also will trigger widespread replication of such projects in other areas and regions. within the next three years about 20 libraries serving 500 people each will be established within the district.
Sustainability
What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?
1)Negative public opinion and resistance to the project implementation. An earlier communication with community members and other stakeholders will be carried out. Their relevant views on management and implementation strategies will be incorporated.
2)Poor operation and management of the project once initiated. The project will be under hybrid (partly private and community owned) model of ownership and management). An experienced person will be hired on a contract basis.
3)Purchase of poor quality products. Well known suppliers and well defined performance guarantee contract periods strategy will be employed.
4)Revenue management conflicts. 60% of the net profit will be used for project scaling up. 40% will be revolving fund loaned to members for income generation. Mini cooperative societies will be established. Each society will consist of not more than 10 members who will be required to contribute shares. Each society will access the revolving funds for their members and pay back as agreed under contract. The shares of each society deposited with the project management will be used as guarantees.
Tell us about your partnerships
The Project will partner with the following:
1)Local community members
2)Local Institutions
3)Local women groups
4)Local Youth groups
5)Government representatives
6)Green energy products companies and organization
6)Local business community
7)Local political leaders
8)Other relevant stakeholders
Current annual budget of project, in US dollars
$10,001‐50,000
Explain your selections
This project is still under idea phase and can be funded by any organization. Currently it has not been submitted for any funding.
How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?
The project will be strengthened through capacity building, encouragement of public and private partnership, implementation of policies for establishment of such projects in other areas and finally undertaking Information dissemination
Challenges
Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.
PRIMARY
Restricted access to new markets
SECONDARY
Lack of skills/training
TERTIARY
Lack of efficiency
Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.
1)The current successful marketing of products, services and creation of job opportunities revolves around ICT. The project will established an ICT center for the locals to overcome the current barrier.
2)Many local people are unable to use ICT and efficient renewable energy technologies. The project will undertake capacity building in repair and production of the relevant technologies for income generation.
3) The use of non clean energy products and inefficient technologies increases disease burden to members of the community making them ineffective.They also use much of their time and money in acquiring domestic energy services. The project will reduce disease burden and introduce more efficient technologies and use of clean renewable energy carriers for increased human efficiency.
Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.
PRIMARY
Grown geographic reach: Within host country
SECONDARY
Grown geographic reach: Multi-country
TERTIARY
Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices
Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.
Currently less than ten percent of Kenyan 40 million people have easy access to cleaner energy products and carriers. Internet connectivity is also limited to urban dwellers. This leaves out a huge population yearning for the proposed project activities within the country. Growing geographically with Kenya is therefore the immediate future plan. After successfully being established, the project can be replicated in other areas with the same scenario
Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)
Government, Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.
If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?
The project will need to collaborate with them all for successful implementation
 | 100 weeks ago Fred Kiplimo said: Totally agree with you about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 100 weeks ago Jacob Mbego updated this Competition Entry. |
| 101 weeks ago Jacob Mbego updated this Competition Entry. |
| 104 weeks ago Jacob Mbego said: The starting point is correct and credible information for economic empowerment, opening market for goods and services, equal ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 104 weeks ago Abuka Avedi said: Lack of information has lead to confused society where individuals or group of people rely on propaganda. When information is transmited ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 104 weeks ago Jacob Mbego updated this Competition Entry. |
| 105 weeks ago Jacob Mbego updated this Competition Entry. |
| 106 weeks ago Jacob Mbego updated this Competition Entry. |
| 106 weeks ago Jacob Mbego updated this Competition Entry. |
| 106 weeks ago Jacob Mbego updated this Competition Entry. |
