Burkina Faso - Solar and wind electrification of schools

Presentation of the NGO

The association Lumière pour tous

The association LUMIERE POUR TOUS is an association created in april 2010 that aims at gathering people from  two countries and two cultures, France and Burkina Fasso, in order to give everyone access to light. To do so, the association realizes complete lightening installations and distributes electricity to the schools in the city of Boromo in Burkina-Faso.

Since 5 years, the association builds up each year a team of young adults, from 18 to 21 years old from the high school J.J Henner and the IUT in Mulhouse in France to realize the installations. This project is a strong human experience for these young volunteers who have the opportunity to put their skills at the service of others while discovering a new culture.

Therefore, such installations represent a meeting point between two countries and two cultures that converge together for a common goal :  « Light for All »    hence the name of the association. « Lumière pour Tous »

The context of the project

In 2011, the representative of the city of Baromo, M.Guira Karim, came to Alsace and presented the project of LUMIERE POUR TOUS and the needs of his Community. After this meeting, a specific need was highlighted : electricity for  students in primary schools.

Since the creation of the association, five installations were set in five school buildings. As a result, school rooms can be used for more studies and for the homeworks after the sunset. In 2014 and 2015 both a windmill and a photovoltaic system were installed for a mixed and  more efficient energy production. In the village of Ouroubonon, LUMIERE POUR TOUS set a complete system of electrification in the alphabetization center for women, thanks to a solar terminal to recharge all types of batteries. This system is managed by the women themselves and it generates also an income for the Woman’s Center  thanks to the financial contribution required from the users.

The goal for 2017 is to electrify a primary school in Nanou and a kindergarten in Kagrin, villages that are administratively dependent on Boromo, thanks to a photovoltaic system and a windmill of 400W. An other solar terminal will be build in order to improve the education conditions in each village. Such a goal is consistent with the broader goal of eventually electrifying all Boromo’s schools.

Presentation of the project

The energetic issue of the NGO

In Burkina-Faso, electricity is very expensive and the cities and villages which  benefit from it are very scarce.

November and February are strongly windy seasons in this region,  and teachers are  often obliged to close the windows what makes the rooms too dark to study. Moreover, considering that in Burkina-Faso the sun comes down at 5pm, school rooms are out of use after this time and the students who don’t have electricity in their homes have to stop studying.

The action supported by Synergie Solaire

Solutions

In 2017 the association LUMIERE POUR TOUS aims at electrifying a school in the village of Nanou, a kindergarten in the village of Kagrin and set a solar terminal to recharge the batteries (phone, car, motorbike). The recharging station  will be managed by the women  of the Association of Parents of Students in the Nanou’s school and the benefits will contribute to the development of the school and the improvement of education.

The mission of 2017 will electrify three rooms, benefiting as a result the 346 pupils of the primary school and the kids of the kindergarten. Therefore, better lighting conditions will allow the school to fulfill its educational function better and accompany the next generation to achieve its professional goals.

The energy is produced by photovoltaic panels from the french company Voltec Solar and by a 400 W windmill.

For the development of the project, a preparatory phase was scheduled from September to December 2016, period during which the  electricity materials were selected and prepared , and then sent to Boromo.  The  Mission trip  will take  place in February 2017 during 12 days. (Originally scheduled in Feb. 2016 the mission trip had to be postponed because of a bomb attack in Ouagadougou. In January 2016 )

LUMIERE POUR TOUS also takes care of the training of a local team that will have to maintain the electric installations once the association will be gone. All year long, the association remains in contact with the local beneficiaries and the school directors on a weekly basis in order to make sure that the installations are working well.

Our Involvement

Total Budget: 23000€

Participation of Synergie Solaire: 3000€

Local French Public Sector  funding the main part.   (Alsace Region )

Sustainable development impacts of the project

Social Impact

• Improvement of education conditions for students and teachers in the schools.
• Cultural Interaction between French and  Burkinabé Students
• Thanks to phone chargers, social links between the inhabitants are maintained
• Promotion of education thanks to night schools and evening meetings between parents

Economic Impact

• The solar terminal is a source of income for the schools- Earnings for the Women Center (Parents Association) from the charging station installed by the association
• The local population gets new skills in renewable energy thanks to the training given by the association
• The use of energy saving lamps reduces the prices of electricity for the schools

Environmental Impact

• Promotion of renewable energies
• Creation of a stable and sustainable source of energy