What is the advantage of electricity?
While Steve and I traveled through Colombia, and then Joanie and I traveled through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia meeting with wonderful organizations that work every day helping the poor, one frequent theme was to provide electricity to the very poorest and most remote villages, where the normal electrical “grid” will never reach.
Solutions include generating electricity using:
- the power of the current of a flowing river to drive a D/C generator
- the power of a stream which is harnessed and used to spin a higher-tech “waterwheel” which drives an induction motor to generate electricity
- Modern windmills (turbines)
- Solar panels
In some cases these are combined with batteries, and in all cases other components are needed to control and transmit the electricity, and to protect the equipment and people.
In some countries, the state government recognizes their responsibility to provide electricity to all, so it encourages local communities to plan what they need, and supports these communities with financial aid.
More commonly, the state government does not yet recognize the need for or acknowledge their responsibility to provide electricity for all. In those instances the local NGO’s (non-government organizations) are looking for help to demonstrate to their government that small electrical systems are practical, and that the local people are capable of helping to build and maintain these modern systems, as well as administer them fairly so money is accumulated for future repairs and improvements. Our involvement not only brings electricity (or pure water, or heat, etc) to a specific community, but helps create the environment where the national and state governments will take the responsibility to organize and finance these programs in the future.
But why do these people need electricity? We asked a lot of local people this questions. Here is what we learned:
- Imagine what YOUR life would be like for one day without electricity, which might mean no refrigerator, no dish washer or clothes washer/drier, no air conditioning or heat or cooking (even oil and gas furnaces or stoves need electricity to operate), no phone, no TV/ DVD, no computer, no lights, no warm shower or bath, no vacuum cleaner, no radio, no electric razor (can’t keep it charged), and on and on it goes. We are TOTALLY dependent on a continuous, dependable supply of safe electricity.
- We heard of places in Colombia where the men farm small land-holdings far from the villages where their wives and children live. Once electricity is available at their small farmhouse, the family comes to be with him… due to the presence of small things like light in the evening and early morning, the ability to charge their cell phone to stay in contact with extended family (or to get advice in case of an emergency), a little refrigerator to store meat, etc. Simple? Yes! But life-changing!
- In Peru, an assistant at the local clinic showed us their first auto-clave (sterilizer), and said “before, we boiled the instruments and hoped”. They can also refrigerate medicines they need for emergencies, instead of transporting the sick patient hours to the nearest larger clinic.
- Again in Peru, students are doing better for several reasons. They have light, so can read and study later. They have occasional access to computers with resources and occasional internet access, far more awareness of the world beyond their doorstep. But the one that caught my attention was that the teachers come out each week from a larger community hours away. They used to stay perhaps through Wednesday, now they stay through Friday. Small amenities due to electricity make a BIG difference.
- We also heard reports that Amazon Basin families spend time together in the evenings, when there is light. Previously the teen and adult men slept outside. Now they come inside, and end up sleeping there.
- New businesses spring up… phone and internet services, small restaurants, etc… lots of work is easier with power tools, etc.
- Improved illumination helps people see better
- Radios help maintain a sense of community and bring music into the home
- TV's often don't have a signal, but are still popular. They add a simple DVD player and with each trip to town pick up a few DVDs to enjoy over and over again
- Electricity allows deep-well pumping, to access water not contaminated by ground run-off.
- Electricity allows irrigation, so fallow land can be used productively.
Bruce