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Month: November 2015

October Monitoring Report

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Villages Visited

Week 1: Tunga, Kideng, Original kabache, Indigenous kabache, Gidanturu, Sabonjida, Kpalyn, Laligu, Yepalsi, Yakura, Zanzugu, Jabayili, Balomposo, Jangbarigiyili, Changyili, Sagbragu, Chandanyili, Kpalguni, Tijo, Tindan, Kasulyili, Kpaliga, Kpachiyili, Namdu I, Namdu II, Warvi, Bamvim, Kpanshegu, Komlanyili, Takpili, Yepala, Chani, Jarigu, Cheko, Manguli II, Gbruma, Djelo, Buhijaa, Manguli I, Kuldanali, Bogu, Tindan, Kagbal, Dundo, Gurumanchayili, Gbandu, Garizegu.

Week 2: Sabonjida, Kideng, Tunga, Original Kabache, Indigenous kabache, Jarayili, Gidanturu, Libi, Kpalyn, Laligu, Yepalsi, Jangbarigiyili, Changyili, Jabayili, Yakura, Galinzegu, Zanzugu, Wambong, Balamposo, Namdu I, Namdu II, Gondaa, Tijo, Tindan, Sagbragu, Jagberin., Chandanyili, Warvi, Kasulyili, Chesagu, Kpaliga, Kpachiyili, Kasulyili, Kpanshegu, Komlanyili, Bamvim, Jarigu, Cheko, Yepala, Wovugu, Wovugumani, Janakpeng, Gbruma, Sakpalua, Kpenchila, Moya, Kulaa, Voughyili, Djelo, Kudula, Kpanayili, Tohinayili, Nekpegu, Kalinka.

Week 3: Jarayili, Kpalbusi, Gidanturu, Chanaayili, Kideng, Tunga, Original kabache, Indigenous kabache, Sabonjida, Libi, Gidanturu,
Laligu, Yepalsi, Yakura, Jabayili, Zanzugu yepala, Zanzugu, Jangbarigiyili, Galinzegu, Wambong, Kuruguvuhuyayili, Chandanyili, Sagbragu, Tindan, Tijo, Gondaa, Namdu I, Namdu II, Kasulyili, Kpachiyili, Chesagu, Kpalga, Janakpeng, Manguli II, Gbruma, Wovugu, Wovugumani, Sakpalua, Kpenchila, Bamvim, Komlanyili, Yepala, Chani, Jarigu, Cheko, Voughyili, Djelo, Buhijaa, Manguli I, Kudula, Moya, Kulaa, Bogu, Tindan, Kuldanali, Gbandu, Garizegu, Dundo, Gurumachayili.

Week 4: Jarayili, Libi, Gbung, Kagbrashe, Kushini.Yet to treat water, Chongashe, Kpalbusi, Tunga, Kideng, Original kabache, Indigenous Kabache, Galinzegu, Zanzugu, Zanzugu yepala, Jabayili, Yakura, Jangbarigiyili, Balamposo, Yapie yepala, Changyili, Wambong, Kuruguvuhuyayili, Laligu, Kpalyn, Yepalsi, Warvi, Namdu I, Namdu II, Gondaa, Chandanyili, Kpalguni, Jagberin, Sagbragu, Kpaliga, Tijo., Tindan, Kpachiyili, Chesagu, Gbruma, Manguli II, Janakpeng, Cheko, Nyamalga, Jarigu, Komlanyili, Bamvim, Kpanshegu, Wovugu, Wovugumani, Sakpalua, Kpenchila, Eric, Tohinayili, Nekpegu, Kalinka, Bogu, Tindan, Kuldanali, Kpanayili, Kagbal, Dundo, Gurumanchayili, Moya, Kulaa

Success Stories

October was a very successful month for our water businesses. After low sales throughout the rainy season, with usage rates dropping below 70% in September, we saw a huge improvement in October. The rains have slowed with the arrival of the dry season so families are no longer “holding out the next rain” and are frequenting the water businesses again. The average usage-rate was back up to 76% and was as high as 85% in the last week in October!

Things at the solar businesses have also been going well. The women from Tacpuli used some of their profits to buy shea nuts to sell in the dry season. In Djelo, the women entrepreneurs have saved 300 Ghs in the bank. They have used some of their money to buy battery chargers to keep at the business and plan to buy maize and rice soon which they will sell later in the year.

 

 

Wahab checking in with Fatima at the water business in Namdu I
Wahab checking in with Fatima at the water business in Namdu I

 

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A pregnant woman in Sagbarigu tells Wahab “I am so happy that my new baby will have access to clean water”
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Household visits in Kpachiyili
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Happy kids in Kpachiyili goofing off with Wahab after a household visit
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Wahab checking in with Fusheina in Namdu II
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Rahina in Yapalsi checking on a lantern
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fetching clean water in Yapalsi

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Ayi from Yakura recording sales
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A busy day of sales in Wambong!

 

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Happy customer in Indigenous Kabache

 

Challenges

Of course, October also had its fair share of challenges. In Djelo, the genset broke and was out of commission for about three weeks while our partners at Burro worked on it. Luckily, the village down the road, Vohyili, also has a Saha solar business so people were able to go there to charge their phones and batteries. I don’t think the Vohyili entrepreneurs were complaining! Some other solar communities, specifically Chani, Kurugu Vohayili, and Sakpalua have been noticing that the charge in their AA batteries is not lasting as long as it it used to. Sometimes, this can be fixed by cleaning the batteries with running alcohol, but for some of our older villages, this means that they are going to need to replace some of their batteries with new ones. Each battery has a lifetime of about 500 charges. After that, they will need to be replaced. Although we talk about this during implementation, many of our entrepreneurs were not expecting to replace their batteries this soon and were disappointed. Luckily, the solar ladies have a lot of money saved up and will be able to afford to replace their batteries.

The main challenge for our water businesses this month revolved around moving the centers. In many villages, the entrepreneurs set up their water businesses in different locations depending on the season. Now that the rains of stopped, the entrepreneurs need to move their water centers back to the dugouts so they have water to treat. Right now, the ladies in Kpalibusi, Jerigu,  Yipela, Gundaa, and Chandanyili all need to move their centers and start treating dugout water. We hope for this to happen in the next couple of weeks. The only other problems are missing blue drums in Tunga and Jabayili, but they still have enough blue drums to treat water.

For detailed, week by week monitoring reports from October, click here.

Meet Our Entrepreneurs: Lachiya from Takpili

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Screen Shot 2015-11-17 at 4.54.43 PMLachiya was born in Kpalbe. She grew up there until her teens when she went to live with her aunt in Takpuli. She later got married in Takpuli and has given birth to four kids: three girls and a boy. Before joining Saha Global, she farmed rice and groundnuts. She still farms alongside running the water and solar businesses. She also sells firewood.

Lachiya is happy that Saha has been able to provide Takpuli with clean drinking and then later with solar electricity. Lachiya says, “Now whenever there’s an occasion, like a funeral or wedding, and people come from different villages, there is clean safe water to drink and lights at night too. I am proud to be a part of the Saha Team!”

Meet Our Field Reps: Bryant Foreman

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My name is Bryant Foreman. I am 26 years old and am currently working as a scientist in the field of agricultural, zoonotic infectious diseases. While I was finishing my Master of Science degree at Georgetown University, the concept of effective public health implementation and planning was a frequent topic of discussion during a number of my graduate-level courses. I opted to stay in my comfort zone and kept the majority of my research interests rooted in the areas of molecular biology and biosurveillance. However, in February I decided to step out of that comfort zone. I applied to the 2013 Summer Program offered by Saha Global. Several months later, I was on my way to Ghana to implement a community based water treatment center in a village in the Northern Region called Cheshegu.

Bryant with some kids from Cheshegu and Saha's District Manager, Wahab, on opening day of their water treatment center.
Bryant with some kids from Cheshegu and Saha’s District Manager, Wahab, on opening day of their water treatment center.

The Saha Global Leadership Program granted me the opportunity to interact first-hand with individuals who have been burdened with various diseases for years. Throughout the course of my education, I have studied a number of diseases within the capacity of a laboratory, but until Saha Global allowed me the opportunity to do so, I had never physically seen the hardships that these illnesses had on individuals. Since then, I look at my work a bit differently. I used to view the microorganisms with which I work solely through the scope of the environment. My experiences in Ghana allowed me to apply a lens of humanity that allows me to remember why I do what I do: to help keep others (humans and animals) healthy and safe.

As far as overall experiences are concerned, this trip would have to be my absolute favorite thus far. One memory that stands out in particular would probably have to be the very first day in Accra. I was trying to function on 3 hours of horrendously light sleep when my fellow field representatives Lucas, Jacob, Bryan, convinced me to explore the coastal city with them after breakfast. I was initially reluctant to join the impromptu excursion; however, after hours of walking in the city I had experienced more than I could have ever hoped for during my first day in Africa. After befriending some locals  who gave us a tour of the Nkrumah memorial, treated us to lunch on the cliffs of the Gulf of Guinea, gave us a tour of the coastal slums, and welcomed us with a traditional drum ceremony at their shop, I could certainly say that I had my first “welcome to Ghana” experience.

Once we were in the Northern Region working in our respective villages, I saw that this opportunity presented an atmosphere in which I felt I could thrive and make a difference. Additionally, this program has been developed to cater to a number of educational interests and disciplines. From aspiring civil engineers to International Relations majors, I saw individuals utilizing skills from different disciplines and putting them together toward one common goal.

I have encouraged a number of people who expressed any interest in my experience to look into Saha Global for themselves. After all, interacting and learning more from a fellow Alum is how I was led to the program myself. Additionally, I stay in touch with a few of the Saha’s District Managers. I was teamed up with Wahab and when heavy rains hit our village last winter, he kept me up-to-date on how the entrepreneurs were taking care of things and mitigating the situation.

Although my career has taken me in a different direction, I continue to support the mission of Saha Global as a member of the Advisory Board. Led by our chair of the Board, Samantha Reilley, our Field-Rep alumni continue to drive the growth and expansion of Saha by meeting on a quarterly basis to discuss Saha-related tasks and doing research for the expansion of this model. As a member of the Board, I was most recently involved in the Saha Challenge – a competition among Field-Rep alumni to propose an entirely new country for the expansion of Saha Global. After a series of presentations and a visit to Boston to pitch our final idea, former Field-Rep Lucas Hilsbos and I had proposed Nicaragua to which Saha would launch their next group of social enterprises for clean water and electricity. I am looking forward to being a part of the pilot program in Nicaragua and I am extremely grateful to be involved in this process of expansion into a new region of the world. I believe Saha Global will have the similar impact on communities in Central America when compared to those in West Africa – and I am excited to continue being a part of this expansion process.

Want to learn more about Bryant’s experience or have any specific questions? Feel free to email him at foreman.bryant@gmail.com You can also learn more about him and check in to see what he is up to now here!