August 01, 2008
Clinton Foundation Promotes Solar-Energy Projects in Africa
By Ian Wilhelm
Rema Village, Ethiopia
Emaye Beyene says she has no idea who Bill Clinton is.
But the Ethiopian mother of five does know that a “special guest” came to her town here Thursday to look at how solar power helps her life.
“We don’t need to buy kerosene,” she says about the benefits of the solar panel that protrudes from her mud and straw hut, “and our children can study at night.”
Today, as part of a six-day trek through Africa, Mr. Clinton flew by helicopter to this remote village perched high on a ridge in the country’s northern highlands, about a five-hour drive on bumpy dirt roads from the capital of Addis Ababa. He came to publicize the work of the Solar Energy Foundation, a German charity that has wired the homes of 5,500 people here with 1,100 solar panels.
The solar energy allows Rema’s residents to have small lights in their huts and play radios and other small electrical devices. Before this, like most of the Ethiopia’s rural residents – only 1 percent of which have access to electricity — they used diesel generators and kerosene lamps.
And while lighting up the village with clean energy, the solar power also has social and health benefits, says Harald Schutzeichel, the founder and director of the Solar Energy Foundation.
He says it allows medical clinics to keep vaccines for polio and other diseases refrigerated, fuels water pumps, and creates local jobs for electrical technicians, which the European energy group trains.
“For us it’s a normal light,” Mr. Schutzeichel told the former president, “for them its hope.”
Mr. Clinton seemed to agreeing, saying the project, which is the largest of its kind East Africa and cost roughly $450,000, should be duplicated in other impoverished parts of the continent.
“What we’re trying to do is sell this model,” he says. “This is the power equivalent of the cell phone.”
Following Up on a Pledge
The project’s main donor is Good Energies, an energy investment company. In 2006 its chairman, Marcel Brenninkmeijer, made a public pledge to Mr. Clinton to wire Rema and other villages as part of the Clinton Global Initiative, a yearly meeting of well-heeled donors, celebrities, and charities.
Mr. Brenninkmeijer came with Mr. Clinton to check up on that promise.
Arriving to a crowd of about 300 villagers, Mr. Clinton received a warm welcome, receiving a “gabi,” a traditional Ethiopian shawl, as a gift.
His daughter, Chelsea, and half-brother, Roger, accompanied him and they met students of an adult education class who are now able to meet at night due to the introduction of electricity.
In a classroom, with four new lights dangling from the ceiling, Mr. Clinton peppered Mr. Schutzeichel with questions on wattage, storage capacity of batteries, and production restraints.
“He was testing me,” Mr. Schutzeichel says later, smiling because the former president seemed pleased with the progress of the program.
The former president then met with a local family, who served him coffee and a snack of popcorn and chick peas, in a brown thatched hut.
The mother of the family says she likes to listen to music on her radio thanks to the voltage now in her home.
Other Ethiopians have benefited in a more tangible way.
Berhoilu Aiema, 26, says he earns roughly $180 a month by being a “lightbringer,” one of the 26 electrical technicians trained by the Solar Energy Foundation to install and maintain the solar panels in Rema and elsewhere.
Asked if other villages would like to be like Rema and have electricity, he responds: “They want it!”
Attracting Attention
The Clinton Africa tour next heads to Rwanda, Liberia, and Senegal. Former President Clinton invited friends, like the actor Ted Danson, contributors to his foundation, and members of the news media to get a firsthand look at his charitable work. (The trip got off to a slow start, however, when the news media and other guests were grounded by mishaps with their plane.)
The trip is widely seen as a way to refocus news-media attention on Mr. Clinton’s philanthropy after his wife’s failed bid for the White House and to raise publicity for the next Clinton Global Initiative meeting in September.
While Mr. Clinton’s foundation works worldwide, this impoverished continent, where 325 million people live on less than $1 a day, has been the primary beneficiary of his efforts.
He has primarily reduced the costs of medicines for two of the region’s biggest killers: HIV/AIDS and malaria.
And with $100-million gift from Scottish philanthropist Tom Hunter, the Clinton Foundation has built schools and health clinics, helped coffee growers in Rwanda increase their production by 20 percent, and assisted the country’s government to purchase and distribute 34,000 tons of fertilizer.
Altogether, in Africa and elsewhere, the foundation says the former president’s charitable work has saved the lives of 1.3 million people.
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Wonderful program. Does anyone have an interest in supporting a model university in Ghana? Ashesi University is doing a great job there.
— peter wolken Aug 1, 02:29 PM #
Well done, Bill Clinton. This is truly a great initiative, and what I like most about it is that you personally went to check on what was being done and where, avoiding the usual mis-use of funds and human power. I’m not so sure that the maleria and AIDS projects are tackling the fundamentals, and would appreciate learning more about them.
— Eugene Yakub Aug 1, 04:27 PM #
I personally appreciate the good humanitarian programme of Bill Clinton Foundation especially in Africa. I want to draw his attention to Nigeria my country where Electricity is one of the major challenges we are facing. It is the root cause of urban poverty.
Also I will like to have the e- mail of Mr. Schutzeichel on how to adapt the solar technology to solve urban and rural poverty problems
— Ola Odunayo Aug 2, 07:14 AM #
It is great to learn of the success that the Bill Clinton Foundation is making in Africa. I am actively seeking ways to become
involved and provide support to Africa. Can you provide any contacts at the Clinton Foundation who can provide additional information on the next Clinton Global Initiative meeting in September.
— Curtis Jones Aug 4, 08:41 AM #
i have watched and read with very much keen interest in the benefits some developing countries such as Argentina and Ethiopia gained when the solar energy foundation was brought to their door step and wondered if such philanthropic gestures could be extended to my country, Ghana.
currently, the most energy used is hydro power.
the last two years saw a drastic break down and low productivity of
most industries as the country was experiencing a serious drought forcing authorities to resort to load scheduling exercise.
though the problem seems to be low, many parts of the country are still not connected to the national electricity grade.
the three northern parts of Ghana experiences a temperature between 32degees to 36degrees for about 9months in the whole year.
yet these places with its residents mainly peasant farmers and villagers have no power to go about their activities.
i would therefore plead that the Germany solar energy foundation and the Clinton solar energy foundation be alerted on this and me contacted via the email address if they can offer an assistance to these poor but very hard working people.
i will be glade to see these people enjoy some form of energy as they form the main back bone of Ghana’s food supply into the inter-lands.
— robert appiah Aug 15, 01:16 PM #
Hi. I hope mr. Clinton can remember me I was working in New York as a Director of Hermandad Hispana Nacional I wish to have comunication with him now Im in Mexico City and I think we can do many things together in order to help people with solar energy in far to reach communities Thanks see you late.
Sincerely Alejandro calvo
— ALEJANDRO CALVO Aug 17, 03:56 PM #
I want to become the agent of the Clinton solar energy foundation here in my country, Indonesia, please provide me the email address or PIC of the foundation that I can contact with
— Dennis Aug 21, 11:00 AM #
I live in Ghana.The country is almost dependant on hydro energy.Every year,in my suburb alone,over five thousand houses are built and this brings further pressure on the already ailing dams existing.There is therefore the need to explore other alternative souces of energy to power the newly built houses to avoid overdependence on the hydro dams.I wish that the solar energy foundation shall see the needs of my country Ghana and divert some of the solar panels to Ghana so that people can buy from the open market and instal them on their newly-built house. If you find this propasal feasible,then allow me the honour to be your agent for the distribution of these panels.please sent me your permanent address for future correspondence.Thank you.
— Assane Stephen Aug 22, 11:41 AM #