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Prepping for Our Winter Field Reps in Ghana

Posted on October 28, 2015November 17, 2015 by admin

Peter at a potential partner community’s current source of drinking water

My name is Biyam Peter and I am Saha’s Director of Ghana Programming. I have worked for Saha Global since 2008, when Saha was piloting their first water treatment business in Tamale.

I am currently working in Salaga, Saha’s sub-office located 4 hours southwest of Tamale, monitoring all of the villages in the surrounding area. Saha first implemented in this area in 2013 and since then I have managed the monitoring and the mapping of potential partner communities in the area, which makes me feel proud. I work in Salaga four days every week and get to Tamale for our normal staff meeting on Fridays, and get back to Salaga on Sunday to start a new week.

When in Salaga I monitor three villages a day. I check up on the businesses and talk to the ladies running the businesses. I talk to them to see how things are running, find out what their problems are and supply them with more aqua tabs if they need to buy more. I also visit six households in each village to see how people are doing with water in their households.

The guesthouse in Salaga where all of our Winter water field reps will stay!

Aside from that, I also organize and prepare for the Global Leadership Programs. I have been counting down the days and cannot wait for December to get here! I have made the guesthouse arrangements for the Field Reps. I have checked to make sure we have the right amount of beds and that the water and electricity is running. I have met with the cooks at the guesthouse to be sure they are prepared. The cooks in Salaga are from my favorite restaurant in town called 4As. This is how the menu will go: fried rice, plain rice and chicken, jollof rice, fufu, plaintains. My favorite is the fufu. I have met with the cleaning ladies of the guesthouse to be sure they ready. I am also in charge of making sure all the translators and taxis are ready for the Fields Reps.

The villages in Salaga are so awesome and they always make me feel at home. I love the fufu there and the cow milk the Fulani give me. The most important thing about our expansion into Salaga is that I always feel like Saha needs to be there. People in this area are really lacking access to clean drinking water. I can see how much Saha is impacting these communities with their businesses and I have a list of potential partner communities for our Winter Field Reps to work in. I can’t wait for December to get here!

See you soon Winter Field Reps! I can’t wait to meet you all!

-Peter

On a Quest for Quality Light

Posted on October 20, 2015 by admin

After our Global Leadership Program this summer, we were contacted by Burro. They are no longer going to carry the beloved lanterns we have been using at Saha’s solar charging businesses. The durability, price, availability and the fact that they are battery-operated are just a few of the reasons why we and, most importantly, the consumers love these lanterns, so we were sad to see them go.

Here’s where Saha’s relationship with our suppliers comes in. The great thing about our local suppliers like Burro is that we have built a solid partnership. When Burro decided not to carry this lantern model, they began researching a new product that could meet our lantern requirements. Now we will hand it over to guest blogger Jacob McEntire, an Electrical Engineer at Burro, who researched and found a new lantern fit for Saha!

Finding good quality products isn’t always easy, so when Saha reached out to my employer to for recommendations on battery lights, I was happy to lend a hand. The challenge was to find a light that was not only powerful and long-lasting, but could stand up to the rigors of everyday use in Ghana. It didn’t make the process easier that their clients’ needs necessitated an inexpensive choice; rather than browsing the cream of the crop, our mission was to pluck a gem from the bottom of the barrel.

*We had a bevy of different lights to test.*

Faced with an order of 75 assorted battery lights that we had ordered for testing, as well as a kerosene lantern that had somehow snuck into the shipment, my partner Edmond and I began by sorting them into categories. Some of the products (headlamps, torchlights, desk lamps, etc.) were instantly nixed, progressing the remaining 15 or so to the next round: drop testing. Since Saha emphasized a need for durability, we began by dropping the products four feet onto the stone floor of the workshop. Some failed completely at this point, some flickered but soldiered on, and a few didn’t even dim. We also did some initial battery testing at this stage; turning on the lights and running them until they ran out of battery. Lights that survived the drop-testing and had long enough battery life enough to be useful continued on to the final round of testing, where we examined their light output more carefully.

*Edmond preparing to drop-test one of the lights.*

During our exploration of these products, we discovered how tricky it can be to quantify their light emission. Battery life seemed the most important factor after durability, but there’s a lot that battery life doesn’t tell us. As a light shines, it constantly saps the voltage of its batteries, which in turn decreases the intensity of the light. As anyone who owns a flashlight knows, this means that battery lights will get dimmer over time. Our goal with this final round of tests was to quantify that time: how quickly do these lights dim? At what point do we consider them too dim to be useful?

*The difference between our workshop and a darkroom? About an inch of aluminum.*

With a little finagling, we converted our workshop into a makeshift darkroom. Combining this with a luxmeter iPhone app, a stopwatch, and diligent data-gathering, we produced a set of curves describing the light output of each of our final three candidates. Exciting! Armed with this knowledge, we settled on our final recommendation: the KNP-W01331NR. It combines strong light output and good battery life with an extreme resistance to physical shocks. As you can see from the picture below, the light was designed with endurance in mind: its rubberized casing and thick joints minimize damage from falls and knocks, and its lack of sharp edges distributes any stress more evenly across the body, lessening wear.

*The sleek design of the KNP-W01331NR enables it to take a beating without damage to the circuitry.*

*Our data for light testing; light 2 was our final choice, because of it’s extreme durability.*

August Monitoring Report

Posted on October 14, 2015October 29, 2015 by admin

For the week-by-week monitoring data from August, click here

Villages Visited

Week 1: Kideng, Tunga, Chanaayili, Sabonjida, Original kabache, Indigenous kabache, Kpalbusi, Gidanturu, Kushini, Yakura, Jabayili, Zanzugu, Balomposo, Changyili, Jangbarigiyili, Wambong, Kuruguvuhuyayili, Laligu, Kpalyn, Yepalsi, Kpaliga, Kasulyili, Kpachiyili, Tijo, Tindan, Kpalguni, Sagbragu, Jagberin, Chandanyili, Warvi, Namdu , Namdu II, Bamvim, Kpenchila, Sakpalua, Yepala, Kpanshegu, Cheko, Komlanyili, Jarigu, Chani, Manguli, Gbruma, Kalinka, Tohinayili, Nekpegu, Manguli, Buhijaa, Djelo, Kuldanali, Bogu, Tindan, Gurumanchayili, Dundo, Kagbal, and Gbandu,

Week 2: Indigenous kabache, Original kabache, Sabonjida, Tunga, Kideng, Kushini, Chongashe, Kagburashe, Chanaayili, Changyili, Balomposo, Galinzegu, Yakura, Jabayili, Zanzugu yepala, Jangbarigiyili, Zanzugu, Yapie yepals, Wambong, Kuruguvuhuyayili, Kpaliga, Kpachiyili, Kasulyili, Tijo, Tindan, Kpalguni, Chandanyili, Namdu I, Namdu II, Warvi, Sakpalua, Kpenchila, Chani, Yepala, Jarigu, Takpili, Cheko, Wovugumani, Gbruma, Bamvim, Komlanyili, Kpanshegu, Nyamalga, Moya, Kulaa, Voughyili, Kudula, Buhijaa, Manguli, Kalinka, Nekpegu, Tohinayili, Tindan, and Kuldanali.

Week 3: Sabonjida, Kideng, Tunga, Chanaayili, Original kabache, Indigenous kabache, Libi., Gbung, Galinzegu, Jangbarigiyili, Balamposo, Yakura, Jabayili, Changyili, Wambong, Kuruguvuhuyayili, Jagberin, Sagbragu, Kpalguni, Chandanyili, Kpaliga, Kpachiyili, Kasulyili, Warvi, Kpanshegu, Komlanyili, Bamvim, Yepala, Cheko, Nyamalga, Sakpalua, Kpenchila, Janakpeng, Manguli II, Gbruma, Jarigu, Wovugumani, Dundo, Gurumanchayili, Kagbal, Gbandu, Garizegu, Kpanayili, Moya, Kulaa, Manguli, Buhijaa, Kudula, Kalinka, Nekpegu, and Tohinayili.

Success Stories

There were many success stories from the month of August. For our water communities, we have successfully transitioned into the rainy season. Although sales have been low at many of the water businesses,due to the rains, people have been collecting rainwater in their safe storage containers correctly. Our August water tests showed very little re-contamination, even our newer communities who haven’t had any previous experience collecting rainwater with their safe storage containers. In the few instances where our testing indicating re-contamination, our team did a great job of following up. They re-visited specific households to make sure the family cleaned their safe storage containers and then did presentations at the schools and at community meetings about way to collect and store rainwater correctly. The team did such a great job with these presentations, that we saw immediate results. For example, in Kpachiyili, Azara saw such a high demand for soap after Wahab’s presentation that she started making some to sell at her water business!

Shak tests a sample of rainwater in the Saha lab. We test for both Total Coliform and E.Coli

Mopaha joined Wahab for his household visits in Warvi. She loves visiting with the children in each household to teach them about clean water.

Wahab and Amin snap a quick selfie on their way to the Friday staff meeting in Tamale

Azara, one of the business owners in Kpachiyili, and her granddaughter, check in with Wahab

Azara poses with the soap that she makes and sells at the water business. People use the soap to clean their safe storage containers. This is especially important in the rainy season because rainwater does not provide residual protection like the chlorinated water from the Saha water business

Tightening the tap on a safe storage container to prevent leaks

Clean rainwater being stored the “right way” in a safe storage container.

One of our Ghana Operations Manager, Shak’s, favorite things about monitoring is making new friends in our partner communities. This is Shak with the chairman of Wambong, who he has now known for over 5 years.

Sana, in Nymaliga, recently moved the water business “home.” In the rainy season, the path to the dugout gets flooded so people collect rainwater from a nearby stream that is easier to access. Nymaliga recently received a metal polytank stand which allows Sana to move the center to the stream during the rains.

August was also a successful month for our solar businesses. The entrepreneurs from Wambong each used GHC100 of their profits from the business to invest in their farms this season. The business owners in Djelo and Nekpegu bought extra cell phone chargers, to help their business grow. Now they can charge any phone at their solar center, even if the customer has lost their charger. In Yapalsi, Sanatua and Asheitu have been doing research to figure out which grinding mill they would like to purchase. They are very excited to expand their business!

Fushena, one of the entrepreneurs in Namdu 2, has some fun with the children from her village.

The three solar business owners in Namdu 2: Rabi, Wumbie, and Fushena

A happy customer poses with her lantern and batteries during household visits Chani.

Damu, one of the solar ladies in Sakpalua, shows a customer how to open the back her lantern to put in new batteries.

The solar business in Balampuso has been running very well for its first two months of operations.

The Genset hard at work charging phones and batteries in Namdu 1

A day of monitoring is not complete unless you take a selfie with someone in an Obama shirt

Chang Chang, one of the water and solar entrepreneurs in Wambong

Sharatu charging phones at her business in Sakpalua

Happy customers picking up their phones in Sakpalua

Challenges

All 15 of our solar businesses ran very smoothly in August. In Sakpalua, the entrepreneurs saw a slight decrease in sales due to the opening of the new solar center in Vogyili. In the past, people with cell phones in Vogyili would travel to Sakpalua to charge and now they no longer have to, which is great for Vogyili but not for the business owners in Sakpalua. This was not a significant change in monthly income for the Sakpalua ladies, but it was reported as a challenge from them.

There were not a lot of major challenges in August. Our new community partners seem to have really gotten the hang of things and our more experienced communities transitioned into the rainy season well. Although sales are slow at water businesses in the rainy season, the entrepreneurs adjust their hours, treat less water, and focus on other endeavors, like farming. Once the rains slow, sales will start to pick up again because people will not be able to collect rainwater for free. Some water businesses, like Nymaliga and Kulaa, closed briefly while the business owners moved the treatment centers to new locations for the rainy season.

Wahab faced the biggest challenge of the month in the community of Gundaa. Here, the main water entrepreneur moved out of the community after a quarrel with her husband. The other business owner was unable to sell water because she had been accused of witchcraft. More information about witchcraft in northern Ghana can be found here, but this issue is very polarizing in our partner communities and is something that Saha Global chooses not get involved in. The community is in the process of selecting two new women to run the water business in Gundaa.

Meet Our Entrepreneurs: Sana from Kushini

Posted on October 9, 2015October 9, 2015 by admin

Sana was born in Wulensi. She went to live with her aunty in Kushini when she was a small kid. She then grew up and got married there. Sana has given birth to three kids, two girls and a boy.

In the Summer of 2011, Field Reps Hudson, Sharifa, Chris and Ianthe implemented a water treatment center in Kushini. At that time Sana was selected as the water business entrepreneur and has been running the center there for four years. Along side running the water business Sana makes and sells charcoal. “I am always glad to see people going home from the center with safe clean drinking water,” said Sana, “It makes me really happy to make sales and treat water for my community.”

Meet Our Field Reps: Caroline Awh

Posted on October 9, 2015October 9, 2015 by admin

Hi! My name is Caroline and I was a Saha Global Field Rep in June of 2014. I’m 22 years old, originally from Nashville, TN, but I’m currently living in Boston, MA, working as a research assistant and clinical research coordinator. I graduated this past May from Washington University in St. Louis with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Biology. I’m now applying to medical schools and have survived my first Boston winter!

As an aspiring doctor, I was motivated to work with Saha Global by the idea that by providing clean water, I was saving lives. I didn’t realize that just providing the clean water is not enough. I was blown away by the fact that the villagers had such a difficult time comprehending exactly why drinking the dirty, contaminated dugout water is bad for them. Before the water business can ever be successful, the people must be taught (often repeatedly) to understand how dirty water can be harmful. Knowledge truly is one of the biggest barriers to good health, and that is a concept I will carry with me throughout my career.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I learned on the Saha Global Leadership Program about communication skills and teamwork. In just three weeks, four total strangers, armed with an amazing interpreter, are able to implement a clean water business in a village where you cannot understand more complex phrases than “Thank You” or “Good Morning.” I am confident that my work with Saha Global has immensely helped my non-verbal communication skills and my ability to work with others, skills that are invaluable regardless of what you want to do.

My favorite memory, though hard to choose, was probably when the chairman of Balamposo, Hannah, Julia, and sat cross-legged outside of his home, shucking corn. It was so wonderful, to be so warmly welcomed into their village and allowed to partake in their daily routines.

I had such an amazing experience as a field rep. The feeling I had when we first saw clean, fresh water coming out of the spigot of Balamposo’s new water business was a feeling of relief, accomplishment, and hope I will never regret. I am currently organizing a letter-writing campaign to connect alumni with the villages they worked with, helping to keep alumni active and also to promote further adherence to drinking clean water.

You can reach me at [email protected] with any questions about my experience as a Saha Global field rep. Also check to see what I am up to now!

Fourth Annual Benefit Success

Posted on September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 by admin

This past Friday we had our Fourth Annual Benefit at the W Hotel in Boston. Our whole team was blown away by the tremendous amount of support we felt. It was so inspiring to be surrounded by a room full of Saha supporters as we celebrated all of our successes and made our announcement that our next country is…..NICARAGUA!

It is because of that support that we were able to raise $20,000 towards our expansion! We would like to thank everyone who helped make this night possible, especially our event sponsors: Wolf Greenfield, Dwell Proper, Oasys Water and KPMG; our Board of Directors: Vanessa Green, Sarah Kearney, Mark Moeremans and Pat Cahill; our amazing performers Amory Sivertson and Fermata Town; and all of our generous donors who contributed items to the auction.

We would also like to recognize the seven Next Step Living employees, who cycled nearly 400 miles the weekend before the Benefit as a part of Climate Ride, a non-profit that that raises awareness and funds for sustainable practices through multi-day bike-rides. The Next Step Living and Saha Global Climate Ride Team joined Climate Ride’s Northeast 5-day biking expedition, through Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts on September 17, and are raising funds for Saha Global through December. Thank you Next Step Living for your continued support!

Saha Executive Director & Co-founder welcome everyone — Saha Executive Director & Co-founder, Kate Clopeck welcomes everyone to the Benefit

From Left to Right, Pat Cahill (Board Member), Vanessa (Co-founder & Board Member), Kate Clopeck (Co-founder & Executive Director), Sam Reilley (Director of Operations & 2011 Field Rep Alum), Kathryn Padgett (Director of Programming & 2011 Field Rep Alum) and Brianan Kiernan (Past Ghana Country Director & 2012 Field Rep Alum)

There were many people invested in this expansion. There were hours worth of research that went into choosing which country would best suit Saha and we can not thank our Saha Challenge participants enough. Congrats to past field reps Bryant Foreman and Lucas Hilsbos for pitching Nicaragua and getting us to where we are today. And a huge thank you to past field reps Leah Staschke and Aly Carr for making an incredible case for Peru.

There is still a lot of work to do, but we feel confident in our ability to bring clean water and solar electricity to communities in Nicaragua that do not currently have access. In order to make our expansion into Nicaragua a reality we will need to establish a base to begin our in-country operations: plotting potential communities, researching local water treatment and solar materials and exploring local partnership opportunities. We are currently seeking an additional $50,000 to make that happen. Help get Saha to Nicaragua by donating on our website here.

Scouting Trip Recap

Posted on September 18, 2015September 18, 2015 by admin

Two weeks ago, Kate & I returned home after an incredible scouting trip to Nicaragua & Peru. After months of research stateside it was so exciting to finally see how statistics matched up to the reality of water and electricity access in rural communities.

We had a fantastic trip and were impressed by the enthusiastic reception of each and every person we met along the way. Once we announce our chosen expansion country at the Benefit (in just ONE MORE WEEK) we will give you all the details of how we came to our decision. Until then, check out these pictures recapping our adventure!

r1s7bFFEC1q4yzxrJFG-cIN1nb8C6D8BmlOmzzCxRng — And we’re off! Next stop Peru!

z19stZ2fIkUihSAsIms-87kXsk85lqcYd56I6xOqlLE — After a 2 hour flight from Lima to Pucallpa, Kate & I were off up the river for 6 hours to a small community with a big name, called Santa Rosa Tamaya Tipishca

Long journeys aren't so bad when there is hammock involved. — Long journeys aren’t so bad when there’s a hammock involved.

The vast Amazon River! And this was the dry season, so the water level is at its lowest.

Alum, in its natural form. In Santa Rosa there was a UNICEF project where they were given chlorine and alum to treat the river water within their own home.

Here is typical home in the Ucalyali Region.

Kate & I stayed the night in this community and watched the sunset with some of the community kiddos.

An eco-sanitation project in the commmunity. There was one for each household.

Our boat back down the river, a bit smaller and with no shade and no hammock. It was hot journey back down to Pucallpa!

Next city we visited was Iquitos. It was 2 hour flight from Pucallpa to Iquitos. Here we are with our translator and area expert Jose as we head out on another 6 hour journey to check out more rural communities in the area.

A local hand-dug well in the community of Puerto Miguel.

In many communities they use these kerosene lanterns as their source of light at night.

After 6 hours on the river, we are off on a hour-long hike thru the Amazon to a small community called Nuevo Jerusalem.

This is Bana! Can you even handle the cheeks on this little cutie?

Here is just one of the many people we had the opportunity to speak with on our journey. Her name is Chachita and she is from Piyarote.

Closing out a successful trip through Peru. Now off to Nicaragua!

Off on this small plane for a short 45 minute ride from Managua to Puerto Cabezas, located on the East Coast of the country!

After an awesome meeting with some great contacts in Puerto Cabezas we were determined to get to small town called Waspam, located 4 hours north and on the Coco River, which is a river that borders Honduras.

Reminds us of Ghana! — Reminds us of Ghana.

Our amazing translators! In the communities around Waspam, people speak Miskito. These guys were a tremendous help.

A household in the community of Kiwastara.

Louis Jackson, the Heffe of Andres, was extremely helpful as we tried to learn more about their source of electricity and water.

Saha On the Road!

Posted on August 27, 2015October 5, 2015 by admin

It’s that time of year again – The leaves are changing, the weather is getting cooler, and students are headed back to school. Yup, it’s fall, one of our favorite seasons here at Saha Global because it means that it is time for us to hit the road and spread the word about our Global Leadership Program! Over the next couple of months, the Saha Team is going to be speaking all over the US. Check out our schedule below and come on down to an info session near you to learn about how you can join us in Ghana this winter as a Saha Field Rep. Make sure to check back – we are constantly updating this list by adding new schools and presentations.

Don’t see your school on this list? Contact [email protected] or join us for a virtual info session.

Online Info Session: Wed Sept 2 @ 6 pm EST

University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne – InSPIRE Club Meeting with alumni Cassie Arenz: Thurs Sept 3 @ 7 pm, 305 MSEB

Online Info Session: Wed Sept 9 @ 7 pm EST

Georgetown University Info Session: Tues Sept 15 @ 7 pm, Cawley Career Center

USC Info Session: Tues Sept 15th @ 6 pm, ACC 310

Online Info Session: Wed Sept 16th @ 5pm EST

University of Virginia Info Session: Thurs Sept 17th @ 5 pm, Newcomb Hall Conference Room 389

Virginia Tech Info Session: Thurs Sept 17th @ 5 pm, Location TBD

UVA Center For Global Health Symposium Keynote: Fri Sept 18th @ 12 pm, Minor Hall, “Global Health Passion and Profession”

Bates Info Session: Mon Sept 21st @ 12:15 pm, Commons 211

Online Info Session: Wed Sept 23rd @ 8pm EST

Colby Info Session: Mon Sept 28th @ 5pm, Location TBD

Online Info Session: Wed Sept 30th

St. Joseph’s University Info Session: Thurs Oct 1st @ 11 am, Campion (Sunroom #2)

University of Pennsylvania Info Session: Thurs Oct 1st @ 6 pm, Wharton School – Jon M. Huntsman Hall – Room G-90

George Washington University Info Session: Tues Oct 6 @ 12 pm, Location TBD

Skidmore Info Session: Tues Oct 6 @ 5 pm, Location TBD

Online Info Session: Wed Oct 7th

Lehigh Classroom Session: Thurs Oct 8th

Middlebury Info Session: Thurs Oct 8th @ 6 pm, McCardell Bicentennial Hall 104

Clark Info Session: Wed Oct 14th at 1:30 pm, Location TBD

BC Class Discussion: Thurs Oct 15th @ 1 pm with Fr. Jim Weiss

Tufts Engineers Without Borders Meeting: Tues Oct 13th at 9 pm, Anderson Hall 2nd Floor

Online Info Session: Wed Oct 14th @ 8pm EST

Online Info Session: Wed Oct 21st @ 6pm EST

MIT e4Dev Club Meeting: Tues Oct 27th at 5:30 pm, Location TBD

Boston University Info Session: Wed Oct 28th at 4 pm, Location TBD

*LAST* Online Info Session: Wed Oct 28th

May and July Monitoring Reports

Posted on August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 by admin

As many of you know, we hosted our Summer Global Leadership Program in Ghana this June. During that time, Peter, our Director of Ghana Programming, was in charge of monitoring ALL of Saha’s water and solar businesses on his own. He did a great job of troubleshooting and making sure our entrepreneurs had support during the month, but we were unable to record consistent data. For that reason, we are skipping our June monitoring update and moving right from May to June. Below are the monthly summaries for both months. The July report only shows data from the last week of July, while May shows 4 weeks worth of data.

Villages Visited

May Week 1: Janakpeng, Gbrama, Manguli 2, Sakpalua, Voguyili, Kpenchila, Wuvogumani, Wuvogu, Moya ,Takpuli, Nyamaliga, Cheeko, Kpanshegu, Kudula, Jarigu, Sakpbarigu, Tijo, Tindan,NamduII, NamduI, Gundaa, Kasuliyili, Kpachiyili, Manguli, Buhijaa, Djello, Kabal, Kalinka, Tohanaayili, Nekpegu, Gbandu, Garizegu, Bogu, Kuldanali/Yapalsi, Wambong, Galinzegu, Kurukuvohayayili, Balampuso, Jangbarigiyili, Chanyili, Kpalung, Laligu, Yapalsi, Libi, Gbung, kabarashe,Sabongida, Kabache 1, Kabache 2, Kideng and Tunga.

July Weeks 1 & 2: Sabonjida, Original Kabache, Indigenous kabache, Kideng, Tunga, Kpalbusi,Gidanturu, Chanaayili, Jarayili, Wambong, Kuruguvuhuyayili, Kpalyn, Laligu, Yepalsi, Changyili, Jangbarigiyili, Yekura, Jabayili, Zanzugu yepala, Galinzegu, Zanzugu, Yapie yepala, Komlanyili, Kpanshegu, Takpili, Yepala, Chani, Jarigu, Cheko, Manguli II, Gbrama, Bamvim, Djelo, Manguli, Buhijaa, Bogu, Tindan II, Kuldanali, Gbandu, Gariezegu,Kagbal, Gurumanchayili, Dundo, Kpaliga, Kpachiyili, Kasulyili, Tindan, Chandanyili, Tindan, Tijo, Kpalguni, Jabayili, Sagbragu, Namdu, Namdu II, Warvi.

July Week 3: Libi, Kagburashe, Jarayili, Tunga, Kideng, Original kabache, Indigenous kabache, Kpalbusi, Laligu, Kpalyn
Yapalsi, Wambong, Kuruguvuhuyayili, Galinzegu, Zanzugu, Yakura, Jabayili, Zanzugu yepala, Yapie yapela, Chandanyili, Kpalguni, Jagberin, Namdu I, Namdu II, Warvi, Jarigu, Cheko, Nyamalga, Manguli II, Janakpeng, Gbruma, Komlanyili, Bamvim, Kpansheg, Kalinka, Nekpegu , Tohinayili, Kuldanali, Kagbal, Bogu, Tindan II, Voughyili, Moya, and Kulaa.

July Week 4: Kideng, Tunga, Chanaayili, Sabonjida, Original kabache, Indigenous kabache, Kpalbusi, Gidanturu, Kushini, Yakura, Jabayili, Zanzugu, Balomposo, Changyili, Jangbarigiyili, Wambong , Kuruguvuhuyayili, Laligu, Kpalyn, Yepalsi, Kpaliga, Kasulyili, Kpachiyili, Tijo, Tindan, Kpalguni, Sagbragu, Jagberin, Chandanyili, Warvi, Namdu I, Namdu II, Kpenchila, Sakpalua, Yepala
Kpanshegu, Cheko, Komlanyili, Jarigu, Chani, Manguli, Gbruma, Kalinka, Tohinayili, Nekpegu, Manguli, Buhijaa, Djelo, Kuldanali, Bogu, Tindan, Gurumanchayili, Dundo, Kagbal, Gbandu.

Success Stories

The biggest success stories from May and July all have to do with the RAIN! After months of waiting, the rainy season finally arrived. The rain started slowly in May, but it rained frequently enough to fill many of the dry dugouts. By July, the rains were here in full force, filling all of the remaining dry dugouts! Of course, with the rain also comes some challenges. Sales often slow during the rainy season as many families collect rainwater to drink. But, at Saha we really view this as a positive thing. Families are able to access clean drinking water for free. As long as they harvest it directly into their safe storage container, they can prevent re-contamination and have safe water for their family. Some water businesses, like the one in Gburma, move the water treatment centers to town and collect rainwater from a tin roof. They then treat it with chlorine to keep it clean in the polytank. But, many business just adjust their schedules to make up for the slower sales and know that when the rains end, business will pick up again. Our Saha team takes samples of the rainwater from people’s homes to ensure that they are collecting and storing it correctly and truly drinking safe water.

In July, our Ghana team decided that Gbandu, Chandanyili, Garizegu and Kpanayili were all ready to graduate and become “independent villages.” This means that the water businesses in these communities have been running smoothly for years and that the women entrepreneurs are able to handle any issues that arise. Saha only visits independent communities once a month to check in with the women. Ghandu and Garizegu were ready to graduate because they now have running pipes in their communities, that provide clean water to the town. As we mentioned in April, the women keep treated water in the polytanks for the days when the government turns off the pipes. The entrepreneurs in these communities handled the transition to piped water so well, we knew they were ready to be independent. Chadanyili and Kpanayili also mastered big transitions: the change in season from dry to rainy. This was not the first seasonal transition for either community and the entrepreneurs dealt with issues like dried dugouts and rainwater collection so well this year, we knew that they were also good candidates to become independent. Congratulations ladies!

In solar news, we had a lot of success in May and July. Shanka, Zelia, and Rahi from Djelo opened a bank account in July! Since we added 7 new solar businesses in June, the % of solar entrepreneurs with bank accounts listed in the chart above decreased, but the number of communities with bank accounts is increasing! We are so proud of the entrepreneurs from Djelo for taking this big step!

In Sakpalua, Tawa used some of her profits to pay her daughter’s school fees. The rest of the women reported that they plan to purchase additional land to farm on this year. In Kpenchila, the entrepreneurs used some of their profits to buy more cell phone charges for the solar center so people who lost theirs can still come charge. In Takpuli, the ladies bought shea nuts with their profits and plan to sell shea butter to make even more money!

Perhaps the biggest solar success story, however, was from Yapalsi. In June, Yapalsi received electricity from the government. Now all of the homes in the community are hooked up to the grid! Now, this may seem like a challenge for the solar business, however, Sanatu and Asheitu are smart entrepreneurs and are already planning their next venture! They are going to use the money that they saved over the past year of running the solar center to start a grinding mill in the center of town. They are also keeping their solar business running for the days when there are blackouts (which are frequent in Ghana), but they are very excited to add a grinding mill to the solar center as a new source of revenue!

Challenges

Luckily, there were no major challenges in May and July. In early May, many dugouts were still dry, but by July every dugout was full of rainwater. As we mentioned above, most water businesses have low sales through the rainy season, but people have access to clean drinking water, which is the number one goal of Saha Global. The entrepreneurs are able to adjust their schedules to make up for the slower season and they all know that sales will pick up when the rains slow. There were a few leaky polytanks, but all were easily fixed. In Kuula, the dugout has been expanded and now it’s too steep for the women to carry water up to the location of the water treatment center. They are going to move their center to a new location and change out their cement polytank stand for a metal one so that its easier to move in the future.

Below are some more pictures from monitoring in May and July:

Meet Our Entrepreneurs: Damu from Sakpalua

Posted on August 19, 2015 by admin

Damu hails from Kpalbe. When she was in her teens, Damu went to live with her aunt in Sakpalua where she later got married and now lives. Damu has two sons and 9 grandchildren!

The water treatment center in Sakpalua was implemented in April 2012 thanks to the help of Fall Field Reps Nick, Rich, Colleen and Chelsea. Damu was selected as one of the women to run the business. A part from running the water business Damu also farms groundnuts and cowpea, an indigenious legume. “I was happy to be part of the process for my community to get safe clean drinking water,” Damu told Saha manager, Eric.

In April of 2014 Kate, Saha’s Executive Director, and Sam, Saha’s Director of Operations, approached Sakpalua about implementing a solar charging business to give source of electricity to the entire community. Sakpalua’s charging business was a one of the pilots for the new solar project and was Saha’s third solar business to open. “I was excited to later be brought solar. Now our kids can read at night and all the compounds have lights when it is dark. I am proud of that,” Damu said.

Since the solar business has been implemented, Damu runs the water and solar businesses with three other women in the community so that they are all able to still tend to their farms.