It is 10 am and we are hiking in the mountainous, remote areas of Twumba and Mutuntu Sectors in Karongi District.
Here, we are looking for residents in the first Ubudehe category who are the beneficiaries of a joint program from One Acre Fund-TUBURA and the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) to light up their homes with solar power. The beneficiaries have been selected in collaboration with local authorities.
The program is in line with the government’s target to attain 100% electricity coverage in the country by 2024, through on-grid and off-grid electrification solutions.
On Wednesday, March 24th, One Acre Fund-TUBURA, an agriculture development organization, distributed Solars kits to over 100 households. Under the current program, a total of 300 households in the Ubudehe-1 category will receive these solar kits by the end of March. Each solar kit has two light bulbs, a radio and a phone charger.
Nyirabanyiginya, 80, is one of the beneficiaries: "It will be my first time to have electricity in my home. I am a widow and I live alone as all my children have passed away. I am glad that I now have a radio; it will help me stay updated with the news,” Nyirabanyiginya says.
Annonciata Ayingeye, a mother of seven who also received the solar kits, shared her excitement: "We often use glowing charcoal pieces and kerosene lamps. My children are going to perform very well at school because they can revise their lessons at night.”
Evariste Bagambiki, the Communications Specialist at One Acre Fund-TUBURA, said his organization supports rural development, and the solar kit initiative is one of the ways they are doing that this year.
"We regularly partner with the Government through different projects and fully support its goal of attaining 100% electrification in the country by 2024. We believe that this is one of the pillars of rural development,” Mr Bagambiki said.
The Energy and Land Manager in Karongi District, Jeannette Nyirashyirambere, while applauding One Acre Fund-TUBURA’s partnership with the Government, also observed that access to energy in the remote areas of Karongi district is still a challenge.
"We have a big challenge with rural electrification. Among the Twumba and Mutuntu Sectors, only Mutuntu has a cell that has electricity coverage, which points to the depth of the problem. Most of the people who received solar kits today have been using paraffin lamps to light their homes,” she echoed.
One Acre Fund-TUBURA supplies agricultural inputs to Rwandan farmers. Its core services are provided mainly through a comprehensive service model which delivers a complete bundle of services to farmers, including inputs financing, training, local input delivery, and market facilitation as they accompany farmers in their journey to prosperity.
A resident receives bulbs from TUBURA staff.
Each resident received a solar kit mande of two solar bulbs, a charger and a radio.
The program is run with partnership of BRD.
Up to 300 homes will be covered in this program.