Constitutional Law

The IncluderEpisode 11$100 Solar Project

By Andrius Kulikauskas

Do you ever have an extra day? or a day's wage? A denarius, as in Roman days? A Sunday or twelve hours of sun spread out over a year?

The Includer is a human-sized device, the product of a human-sized economy, the sum of working one day at a time.

Jackton Arija was the spark for the day in question.  We met him through Samwel Kongere (of Episode 0) and their work to prevent malaria.  Suddenly, with the post-election turmoil in Kenya, we came together to save Jackton and his family:

January 3, 2008: As Sam has said there is no food, no transport and no money and medication.  Right now as speak we dont have food and i am just in the house with my kids boiling hot water and putting some remaining sugar on it for the kids.

January 6, 2008: I thank you all making all efforts for me to have food in my house, Ken Owino sent airtime of Ksh 1500 and Dennis also sent me airtime of ksh750.  I managed to sell and use to buy food in my house and my neighbour who was also lacking food.

On January 8th, Graham Knight donated $100 to our Pyramid of Peace to avert genocide in Kenya.  I hoped that Graham might add his life's passion!

Hi Ricardo, As you may have seen, I'm into low cost solar pv including the recharging of batteries. It can be done very cheaply. Have a look at biodesign.webeden.co.uk and come back with queries.

Meanwhile, Jackton was delivering food.

January 11, 2008: we went to Kendu-bay to give out some food for those who were stuck at the police station... Tomorrow we will be going to Oyugis to give out some food for others who are stuck at Police station

Then one day we got a letter from Peter Ongele.

February 13, 2008: I came to know this man called Arija. he introduced to me and what he is doing in the moment ...  so many who realised that I came from the sides of Sindo and Gwasi highland flocked to have possible assistance of which i could not offer at that time. This man Jactone really helped a lot by advising and organised convenient transport and things became easy for me.

When Peter turned to us for help...

June 4, 2008: After my high school I've worked for several NGOs in both risky and good conditions but this has been on very low pay due to lack of a certificate course. Occationally I've tried to raise money to have a course in Diploma but all has been not on my side. Last year I got one for 3 years on inservice study on Community Health and HIV/AIDS management. I've to register for assesment and college fee. I've to pay some money this year between this month of June and July.

I remembered Graham and the relevance of battery recharging for the Includer...

July 3, 2008: Peter and I spoke by phone and then I sent him $200 so that he could have the money he needs for his certification course. He agreed to do a project for our laboratory, which is to try out the "do it yourself" solar mobile phone battery recharging kit which Graham has created. $100 is for this work and $100 is for a loan which Peter will repay after he gets his certificate, and our lab will relend that money to somebody who could apply it well.

Right away, Peter opened our eyes to rural Kenya:

July 3, 2008: Peter noted that many people are weak from HIV/AIDS and they need alternative work to laboring in the fields. He also notes the great need for electricity because, for example, people in his part of rural Kenya typically turn off their mobile phones after 6:00 pm because they are saving the battery power because they have to walk a long ways to recharge their batteries. So that means that they are not able to make calls to each other in the evening because everybody's phone is turned off.

At the time, I was in Burlington, Vermont at Stephen Wolfram's summer school for A New Kind of Science.  I proposed that our Minciu Sodas laboratory work for him for $200,000 to organize independent thinkers to apply NKS and a culture of investigation to a variety of challenges.  I told him of our $100 project with Peter, an example of thousands we might organize with thinkers we may never meet.  We simply know each other's values and our willingness to work for free on what we care about.

I'm encouraged by the ups and downs of Graham's and Peter's participation and our efforts together.

July 20, 2008 Graham: It has long puzzled me why projects using DIY Solar can 'take off' in some places but not others... Just how do you persuade people to 'have a go'?

November 2008 Graham: I had great hopes that we would get somewhere with this as Peter, unlike most of my African contacts, is prepared to explain his ideas but we don't seem to be getting anywhere.

November 13, 2008 Andrius: You mention that it can take all day to charge a phone (and then I think the phone can't be used). So it seems that one would need an extra supply of batteries to make it useful or people would each need to have their own solar panel. What are the applications for individuals and what are the business possibilities?

November 16, 2008 Peter: I've only sold 3 modules.... I take this as a great step, a start for people to know that there are small Solar modules of low costs which can serve their specific interests before they can raise big moneys to the multi purpose Solar Panels. ... Since Grahams technology is working well,  I see business possibilities and that might be our next project if it would be possible to get micro finance support for it.

By this point, I am thinking hard how to invest my earnings as a math teacher in Bosnia into an economy for the kingdom of heaven.  Peter Burgess and others are encouraging Peter Ongele's wish to document the actual use of malaria bed nets.  Graham is happy, too.

September 25, 2008 Graham: I am delighted to learn of Albert Horowitz's interest in using the DIY Solar technique in Nepal

September 30, 2008: Sabrina Jung of Mina Academy in rural Kenya: I am interested too in that solar energy source!

A lot of light and warmth for $100!

Full post as published by MediaShift Idea Lab on November 21, 2008 (boomark / email).