When Maria Nakato first heard about solar panels coming to her village of Kayunga, she was skeptical. "We've been promised electricity for twenty years," she told her neighbors at the local market. "Why should this be different?"
Six months later, Maria's small tailoring shop glows with LED lights powered by a 4W solar home system. Her sewing machine hums late into the evening, and her children study by the bright, clean light instead of struggling with kerosene lamps that filled their home with smoke.
The Kayunga Solar Initiative, supported by local partners and community champions, has transformed not just individual homes but an entire community. The project installed 150 solar home systems across three villages, providing clean, reliable electricity to families who had never had access to power.
The ripple effects were immediate and profound. Local businesses like Maria's tailoring shop could extend their hours, students performed better in school with adequate lighting for homework, and healthcare clinics could operate more effectively with reliable lighting and the ability to charge medical equipment.
James Mukasa, a local shopkeeper, used to close his small convenience store at sunset. "Customers couldn't see the products, and I couldn't count money properly by candlelight," he explains. Now, with solar lighting, his store stays open until 9 PM, tripling his evening sales.
The project also included training programs for local technicians, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the systems. Five community members were trained in basic maintenance and repair, creating new skilled jobs in the area.
Maria Nakato, once skeptical of promises about electricity, now serves as a community advocate for renewable energy. "I tell other villages about what solar power can do," she says. "When they see my shop, my children doing homework under bright lights, and my husband reading his newspaper in the evening, they believe. They want the same for their families."