Areas of Focus: Basic education and literacy, Community economic development
Activity Type:
Community Development: General
Summary: 75 Watts of Love Solar Lights distributed in Keto, Homo Bay thru Rotary Club of Nairobi, Kenya to families
Access to solar lighting eliminates the need for a costly fuel source and offers immediate savings. Solar lighting also means people can continue daily activities after dark, which directly impacts household income, safety, and overall health. Solar light starts people on the pathway to prosperity. In 2020, the Watts of Love Foundation, https://www.wattsoflove.org/, launched a Lighthouse pilot program in Kenya. The Lighthouse program is a model that allows our Host, RC Nairobi, and International Club, RC Goodyear PebbleCreek (RCGYPC) members to work with the RC of Nairobi, deliver solar lights and financial literacy education. This RC project will deliver 75 solar lights and impact nearly 375 individuals or 75 families in rural Kenya. Methods and Strategies: Watts of Love Foundation with RCGYPC intentionally seeks out the most vulnerable people in the developing world, who live without access to electrical light. For our mission to be sustainable, we will partner with RC Nairobi. Using a unique financial literacy curriculum, the Watts of Love RCGYPC team will gently and compassionately instructs these future entrepreneurs how to save, invest and build for the future. We will train families on how to properly use the solar light and provide education on the importance of compound savings. We emphasize the significance of redirecting funds previously used to purchase kerosene or other dangerous light sources and invest their savings in books and sanitation. RXGYPC will purchase 75 WOL lights in the USA and one RCGYPC member, Colleen Malany, will deliver to RC Nairobi President, Miriam Mwonge, 2023/2024 and then help distribute lights with educational training. This would be the second District 5495 request by RC Goodyear PebbleCreek and is our second priority for Dist. 5495 funding after our Xmas Food Baskets.
Paid
This project is "Paid". This means that the funds from the district have been issued. This project is now being ready for implementation. When this is done, a report needs to be uploaded on the project page and the "Reported" button needs to be clicked, then the status of the project will be changed to "Reported".
Project listed for the 2023-24 Rotary Year.
Proposed Financing
Existing Contributions Towards This Project
Date
Cash
DDF
Total
Goodyear PebbleCreek (5495)
11-Apr-23
$1,250
$2,500
$3,750
Total
$1,250
$2,500
$3,750
Project Supporting Documents
There are no documents yet for this project. Go to the administration page to upload documents.
Project Photos
History Log Entries
11-Apr-23
System Entry
System Entry: Creation of project page.
13-Apr-23
by Rebecca Wilks
Thank you for your application. Please detail how Rotarians will be actively participating in the project. Thanks.
24-Apr-23
by Buddy Sims
System Entry: Project sent for club signatures.
24-Apr-23
System Entry
System Entry: Project signed by Buddy Sims.
30-Apr-23
by Rebecca Wilks
This project cannot go through the signature process until you've addressed this question, asked in a history log question: how Rotarians will be actively participating in the project? Please allow me to start the signature process. Thanks.
30-Apr-23
by Rebecca Wilks
We cannot send this application until your report is in from this Rotary year. That report's due date is today.
30-Apr-23
by Colleen Malany
Rotarians will be the key to distribution of these lights in Kenya. They will make up teams that go into designated areas of need to give lights to families as well as teach the "financial literacy" program that dovetails the distribution. With the leadership of Watts of Love, chiefs of villages are asked to target the neediest of the needy to receive a light. We will continue to go back until all villages are "lighted". The recipient is taught how to save their kerosene money daily (since they no longer need to buy it). The box that the light comes in has a slot at the top making it a "piggy bank". We show them how the saved money enables them to buy a chicken at the end of a week or two depending on the price of a chicken. We extrapolate that money into months for them. Dreams met
30-Apr-23
by Rebecca Wilks
System Entry: Signature Process cancelled by user.
1-May-23
by Rebecca Wilks
System Entry: Project sent for club signatures.
1-May-23
by Rebecca Wilks
System Entry: Project signed by Rebecca Wilks.
1-May-23
by Buddy Sims
System Entry: Project signed by Buddy Sims.
23-May-23
System Entry
System Entry: Project signed by Rick Childers.
16-Jun-23
by Rebecca Wilks
Congratulations! This project has been approved for full funding. We need to do some administrative things, so we don’t know exactly when the money will hit your account, but our best guess is a month or so. We’ll send you an update when we have one. Please also remember that you may not spend money prior to TRF approval and reimburse yourself from grant funds. If there have been changes in your bank account (information for electronic transfer), please get that to Lucinda General (District Treasurer) as soon as possible. treasurer@rotary5495.org. Your report is due April 30, 2024, and receipts are required to complete the report (not invoices, cancelled checks, UPS shipping labels, or any other documents). Thank you for making the world a better place.
16-Jun-23
by Rebecca Wilks
System Entry: Project approved by the District Approval Committee.
7-Aug-23
by Caleb Lowe
Your District Grant has been approved by The Rotary Foundation We expect electronic payments will be initiated before Friday August 11. You may begin making project expenditures now. If there have been changes in your bank account (information for electronic transfer), please get those to Lucinda General (District Treasurer) as soon as possible. treasurer@rotary5495.org. Your report is due April 30, 2024, and receipts are required to complete the report (not invoices, cancelled checks, UPS shipping labels, or any other documents). Thank you again for your good work.
8-Aug-23
by Caleb Lowe
System Entry: Check for DDF payment issued by Foundation Treasurer.