Clean & Reliable LED Lighting for Tribal Homes

  Project No:  2006-1914 Country:  India Organization:  THRIVE Partners:  Ankuran Sector:  Energy Awarded:  $177,250 Reports:  Report 1, Report 2, Report 3, Completion Report   Story: THRIVE on the DM Blog Images:    Project Description  Objective: To provide clean and reliable lighting to 10,000 tribal households using LED light units and a community-based maintenance plan.  Rationale: Kondh tribes residing in the hill and forest tracts of southern Orissa in Indiado not have access to grid power and use kerosene for lighting. Kerosene rations are supplied through distantly-located government outlets and must be heavily subsidized. The light produced by kerosene lamps is neither bright nor clean and does not adequately support reading and working.  Innovation / Expected Results: This project would deploy the latest technology in LED lighting with the participation of a grassroots NGO to ensure sustained acceptance by the community. The team will provide light units at a cost of US$12 each to 10,000 Kondh homes in roughly 200 villages. The batteries will be charged once every two weeks by the village entrepreneur using grid power available in the nearby headquarters. Each home will pay 50 cents a month in user fees, which is shared between the entrepreneur and the light replacement fund. These lighting systems will improve the education, health and productivity of the villagers and enhance their safety. Nearly 200 youth entrepreneurs will also increase their incomes. The systems’ upfront capital cost is far less than any available method and daily energy consumption is also low. This model has strong potential to be scaled up as there are nearly 100,000 villages in India without access to electricity and LED technology continues to improve.  Contact Information  Project Manager: Ranga Bodavala rangathrive@yahoo.com  Related Links: THRIVE:Volunteers for Rural Health, Education and Information Technology Harvard School of Public Health article: "Former Takemi Fellow Wins World Bank Award for Bringing Light Sources to Rural India" The Hindu article (July 6, 2007): "Lights from India now illuminate homes in Afghanistan"