Kenya’s CNN ‘hero’: Africa’s high growth rates not felt at bottom of the pyramid
Evans Wadongo shot into international stardom after he was named one of top ten CNN Heroes in 2010 for using solar technology to eradicate poverty amongst rural communities. How we made it in Africa's Dinfin Mulupi chats with Wadongo to find out what make
Evans Wadongo shot to international fame after he was named one of the top ten CNN Heroes in 2010. His project replaces kerosene lamps with solar-powered LED lanterns across villages in rural Kenya. CNN Heroes honours everyday people changing the world. Born in rural Kenya, the 26-year-old electronic and computer engineering graduate is the executive director of Sustainable Development for All Kenya (SDFA-Kenya) where he literally lights up people’s lives. How we made it in Africa’s East Africa correspondent Dinfin Mulupi chats with Wadongo to find out what makes this social entrepreneur tick. How has your life been since you were named one of the CNN Heroes for 2010?
A lot of things have changed. Since then I have won multiple other awards including the inaugural Mikhail Gorbachev Awards for ‘Man who changed the world’ alongside CNN founder Ted Turner; Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Schwab Foundation for 2011, and I was named among ‘20 Men who will shape the next 20 years’ by UK's Esquire magazine in 2011. I have also been selected to carry the Olympic torch in London.
It has been overwhelming. I moved from receiving ten emails to 10,000 emails a day. It has also opened up opportunities. For instance, I have had the opportunity to travel to many different countries and I am involved in mentoring people around the world. I am teaching other organisations how to impact people at the bottom of the pyramid using sustainable projects.
Tell us more about what your organisation does
We are a social enterprise involved in sustainable projects surrounding renewable energy. Our main project is called ‘Use Solar, Save Lives’. Through this project we locally make solar lanterns, called Mwanga Bora (Swahili for ‘better light’), and distribute to poor rural communities. We then help them set up income generating activities using the money they previously spent on buying kerosene.
I began this project while I was a student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) because I wanted to use lanterns to inspire people to discover their potential and increase their incomes.
From an initial investment of US$50 we have so far distributed over 23,000 lamps and directly impacted more than 100,000 people. We work with 38 community groups out of which 26 have set up income generating projects like poultry farming, fish farming, bee keeping and village micro-financing as well as setting up small shops. The lanterns have helped poor rural communities liberate little funds, probably less than one US$1, previously spent on purchasing kerosene every day.
Explain some of the challenges have you faced in getting this project off the ground?
Getting people to adopt a new model was a challenge. When we started a lot of people were more interested in the traditional way of doing business; making lamps and selling them. But we knew that only the middle class would be able to afford this. The people earning US$1 a day would not be able to afford it yet and we wanted to reach people at the bottom of the pyramid.
Meeting the expectations of communities we work with has also been challenging. We have had instances where their demands are more than our abilities. The publicity in international media after the CNN award also created the impression that we had it all and did not need any more support which is not true.
Is renewable energy the way to go for Africa?
This is the way to go not just for Africa, but the whole world. We cannot keep on relying on resources that will be depleted. The initial cost of investment is too high and that is what is hindering faster uptake of renewable energy. It is unfortunate that governments are reluctant to finance these projects. In Kenya the government has removed the duty on kerosene and it is still unaffordable for most people. So the government does not make money out of it and users still don’t feel relief. It is time we start channelling resources towards renewable energy.
What motivates you?
The positive impact is what motivates me. As an entrepreneur I have made mistakes like firing people that I believe I should have continued to work with. I have learnt to listen to people and learn from them.
Your future plans?
We have already launched in Malawi and have a pilot project in Uganda ... as we intensify plans to move across the whole of Africa. Millions of people across the continent use kerosene. We will be designing solar lanterns to fit their needs. In Kenya we want to directly impact 500,000 people by 2015.
What advice would you give to Africa’s youth given that the majority of them are unemployed?
I would advise them to embrace entrepreneurship. As a young person, people might not listen to you or even support what you are doing, but once whatever it is you are doing begins to have an impact you will get that support. For us, this has been an advantage. Social entrepreneurship is the way to go. We have to relate to the problems we are seeing. How else will we improve education, health care and the other challenges Africa faces? People at the bottom of the pyramid are disillusioned because they cannot feel the impressive economic growth figures presented in big conferences.
The youth can play a key role in eradicating poverty. A lot of them are already doing it. I have been able to impact over 100,000 starting from scratch. This means that everybody else can do it.