Today marks the start of the Filibaba Implementation Trip, and we couldn’t be more excited to be here. Many team members have enjoyed exploring Zambia the last several days and despite the noticeable drought conditions, the weather has been nice and the people are very friendly and accommodating. The food has been satisfying as well; the nshima is dense and the Mosi is cold!
A few of the team members visited the site of the energy kiosk today to gather dimensions and observe the progress being made on the construction. We were met by Mr. Fulaulo, the community social worker who organized the construction. The support beams for the roof were being placed this morning, with the rest of the roofing scheduled for completion later today. The energy kiosk is nice and large (8m x 6m), and is situated between two community churches, which we hope to provide electricity services to. We also met with Mr. Mwenga, a community member and security officer for the area, who was very excited by our return and eager for electricity access for his large family.
The day also consisted of training preparation, data logger testing, grocery shopping, as well as clothing shopping for Dr. Louie whose luggage unfortunately did not arrive with him. For tomorrow’s visit to the site, we plan to meet with the leaders of both community churches to discuss electricity options for them. We will also meet with a small focus group of community members to provide a demonstration of the BBOXX battery kit and some of the accessories it can power. An activity that will not make the agenda of this trip is swimming; we learned today that Filibaba actually means “itching” because if anyone goes in the lake, they will start itching and will have to throw away their clothes and never wear them again!
