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.

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.