Tanzania: Maasai Bomas to Get Solar Power, Computer Connections
Posted on : Wednesday , 28th January 2015
Monduli — THE mud-sealed, straw thatched, traditional Maasai Bomas may not be exactly something you would look at with any interest, except that soon these domestic structures will be exuding electricity light and also will be having computers installed inside.
The International Collaborative for Science Education and Environment (ICSEE) Tanzania in association with the Adventists Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is executing the 'Maasai Stoves and Solar Project' which is in its fourth year now.
It is targeting to install solar panels onto the traditional enclosures to light up Maasai villages through environmentally friendly methods, something which will help keep wild carnivores away without being subjected to use spears.
The Arusha Regional Commissioner, Mr Daudi Felix Ntibenda, who is currently touring Monduli District was told that nearly 1500 households have benefited from the project since it started in 2012.
It is now planned that computers should also be included in the installation programmes to allow Maasai children get the hang of new technology without leaving their villages.
RC Ntibenda lauded the efforts saying they not only help modernize local villages, but also use environmentally friendly sources of energy which is something that needs to be emulated even in more advanced urban settings.
Project coordinators revealed that United States Agency for International Development through its Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research was the main engine behind such developments.
"Last year, we received 60,000 US dollars (nearly 100 million/-) from USAID through its PEER programme to enable other ten Maasai enclosures (Bomas) to get larger solar panels and now two such Bomas at Silalei and Enguiki have been fixed with the equipment while three others are nearing completion," said Mr Kisioki Ole Moitiko, the Maasai Stoves and Solar Project Manager.
Maasai Bomas are enclosed settlements, each encompassing up to 20 huts and housing between 50 and 100 people.
In Monduli District, men and women worked side by side to help electrify the pilot bomas in the villages of Eluwai and Esilalei, including digging trenches for wires, and preparing new electrical buildings provided by boma leaders for panels and shared appliances.
According to the Manager, the project methods also contribute to wildlife conservation. The lights on the corrals protect livestock while keeping hyenas and other predators away without the need for the traditional use of poisons, spears or swords.
The project was also described to be having healthy benefits; in respect to the reported dangers of smoke in the homes of pastoralists in developing world, caused by indoor cooking with open fires described to be a profound international health issue that affects millions.
Source : www.allafrica.com
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