Updates From the Field...

Updates From the Field

It’s been over three weeks since I got back to Sierra Leone and jumped into the process of getting EFO up and running here. It has certainly been a busy time, sometimes frustrating, often exhausting but ultimately successful and things are really moving forward. The very first week back I headed up-line to try and secure registration for EFO in Bombali and Koinadugu Districts, our two planned focus areas. A friend of mine had been working on the national level registration but the main body responsible for this seems to be unsure when they will start registering new organisations and suggested the local route. So off we went, with a couple of vague contacts, some fry-fry and a few bundles of water. After two long days on the road, going back and forth between council offices, chief’s houses and other random pit stops we successfully got both registrations and are now officially registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation in both Districts. We are still chasing the national level registration as it gives you much more legitimacy and also allows you to import equipment much more simply but for now at least we can work! During the trip I managed to fit in two site visits for the Inveneo project and also meet with staff from CAUSE Canada about possible future collaboration. The Inveneo project came about while I was back in Canada and this was my first time seeing the sites to really get an idea of what the work will look like. Some things were much worse than hoped, ie no actual wiring in the one building, but overall we can fit in the solar power very easily and it will certainly help out both organisations. I had done some work for CAUSE when I was with EFA and we are discussing some possible links between their microfinance work and various solar electricity options, if we can get the concept right it can be a great fit. Back in Freetown…the last two weeks have been filled with planning, meetings and general running around. Unfortunately, the house/temporary office isn’t quite ready for occupancy so I’ve been running things from a guesthouse with a cell phone modem. Luckily, this guesthouse is on the beach which means good views, fresh fish and the option to go swimming at any time but also comes with a lot of distractions. I’ve attached a few pictures of the place, you can see it isn’t too bad really but I will be very happy to get into a more permanent home. Hopefully the house/office will be finished this week and I can get settled in properly. On the work side we are making our preparations for the training programme at GTI and there should be two solar electricity courses being taught this year. The introductory class will be taught by one of the GTI staff who I trained last year and I will be back in the classroom in January teaching an Advanced Design class. Solar Energy International (http://www.solarenergy.org/) has been extremely supportive of the programme and has provided two partial scholarships, some textbooks and is also helping arrange the Biofuels trainer who will come over near the end of the school year. We have also secured our second project, providing the solar electricity system for an installation at an orphanage in Kamakwie. This is a bit of a rush and is expected to happen in late November, but once again will be an excellent project to be involved with. That’s about where we are these days. There are all sorts of potential opportunities coming up and with the hope of finally securing our charitable status in Canada we can really make a push on the fundraising front which will allow us to get some significant work done this year. I’ll try to keep the updates coming…look for some early next week from our installations in Makeni.