Energy to (em)power female entrepreneurs
Rose is a hard working business woman who has been running her own bar on the shores of Lake Victoria for the last 5 years, but over the past year her life and that of her family have vastly improved. This is all because Rose has connected her bar to the solar energy hub that has been installed in Ragwe through Renewable World’s RESOLVE project.
Rose needs to be able to keep her bar open late into the evening as most of her customers are fishermen who come in after a long day on the lake. A diesel generator used to be her only source of power and she would easily spend 600 Kenyan shillings (4.46 GBP) a day to run it. Rose says “now that I am using the light from the hub I only pay about 150 Kenyan Shillings (1.12 GPB) a day for all the power I use. And it is easy to buy electricity, I pay directly from an account on my phone. I used to need to travel into the town to buy diesel”. That is a huge 75% saving on her power every day.
With the savings she’s made, Rose been able to expand her business. She now has more tables and chairs and has a television and sound system which she can power off the hub. With this expansion she has seen her profits increase by 250%. “Yes, the business is doing good. I now make about 18000 Kenyan shillings’ (133 GBP) profit per month, before being connected to the hub my profits were around 7000 Kenyan Shillings (52 GBP) a month”.
As well as giving her huge savings, switching to solar power has also had a big impact on her health since the sound and diesel fumes from the generator are no longer an issue. And it means her customers are happy to stay longer. “I used to have lots of chest problems because of the smoke but since the [solar] light I have not had health problems” she says.
“Because the business is doing well, my life is now comfortable, I use the extra income to pay for school fees for my kids” which is an invaluable investment. With hard work on her part and the power of sunlight, Rose’s family have benefited in so many ways and these benefits will be seen for generations to come.
The solar powered hub, described by Rose as “the light” truly has bought a little more light and promise into her life and the lives of those around her. Due to the power of renewables, this should continue and the light can be passed on.
Determined as ever to continue expanding her business, Rose is always looking for new ways to be able to provide more for her family. We are excited to see what her next investment will be.
You can help more people like Rose have access to clean energy by making a donation today.