Solar Energy is Changing Lives!
Nov 24, 2020
Solar Energy
Have you ever been so thankful to wake up in the morning and just flip your light on? It's so easy and we really don't think too much about it. When the sun goes down for the night, we don't have to stop working or put homework on hold because we don't have light. What about when our phone needs to be charged? We simply plug it into the wall and are good to go.
Thousands of people in Uganda use kerosene lamps for lighting and 85% of the population lives without access to electricity. What you might be surprised to learn, is how dangerous kerosene use can be. When burned, kerosene produces harmful toxic and carcinogenic poisoning, fires, and even explosions. It can increase asthma, cancer, eye irritation, skin irritation, and respiratory issues. In a country where there is already a lack of healthcare access, there needs to be a change. The population in Uganda is over 42 million, and of that over 32 million people live in a rural part of the country.
This can also add up to be more expensive than you would think, especially when you're living on less than $2.00 a day. The kerosene lamp itself is about $5.00 + about $57.00 a year to fuel. A small solar lamp is $9.00 altogether. Many of these solar lamps have usb ports to charge phones with as well. It's such a simple, effective and long term solution that we love presenting to people.
Thanks to solar energy solutions, we have been able to help thousands of people live healthier and safer lives. We have an incredible solar team working very hard in Uganda to help many live better lives!
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Our main goal at, 1Heart1Mind is to create self-reliance and we do this through 4 areas of focus. Education Healthcare Micro-finance Solar Energy. 2021 brought lots of ups and downs, but our team stuck it out and did their best! In fact, they did pretty amazing. Below you’ll find the impact 1Heart1Mind had throughout 2021. Even though Covid brought its challenges, we were still able to make an incredible difference. So far in 2022, we have more students and staff members than we’ve ever had. With just under 200 students and about 30 staff members we’re ready to have an amazing year. This year we're determined to create more jobs, provide more meals, give more children a quality education, distribute more clean energy and much more! Be sure to follow along to see where this year takes us! Self-Reliance Number of living wage jobs - 23 Education Total number of students - 161 Number of scholarship students - 41 Number of boarding students - 70 Number of meals provided - 54,431 Healthcare - Suncrest Clinic (opened in July 2021) Number of patient visits - 65 Number of patients provided with medication - 95 Number of charitable patients seen - 34 Amount of charitable services provided - $123.00 Microfinance - Zion Microfinance Ltd Average amount of new loans each month - 25 Average number of active loans each month - 135 Total loan amount deployed for 2021 - $958,561 Energy - Go Solar International Number of lights sold - 226 Number of households - 179 Number of additional study hours - 1,700 Amount of customer savings - $641
Did you follow along our Instagram page to see the new 1Heart1Mind Suncrest Medical Clinic being built? If you missed it, swipe through the pictures just above. The clinic is located on the same property as the 1Heart1Mind boarding school and serves all of the students, staff and surrounding community. The property is in a rural area of Eastern Uganda. There isn't access to quick and easy access to quality healthcare. We believe that everyone should have access to on going basic healthcare. That is why the 1Heart1Mind team built this medical clinic. Hundreds now have the access they deserve. The key to the new clinic is our amazing nurse, Shifa Namataka. She is incredible and such a valuable part of our team. She is very driven and motivated, and can offer over 350 different treatments and services. Since the clinic opened in July, Shifa has had 45 appointments all ranging in different medical needs. We can't wait to see the impact the Suncrest Clinic and Shifa will have over the years. The children start school in January and we know that will be the beginning of this healthcare impact. 51% of people in Uganda don't have any contact with healthcare facilities. Because we are located in a rural area, we are able to help change that number and give people a better quality of life. In 2009, Uganda was ranked 186 out of 191 nations when it comes to healthcare. In 2020 it stood at 158 out of 191. We are just one small clinic, but we can't wait to see the difference made, and lives that will be changed because of it and our amazing staff! We have some amazing donors who made this clinic possible. The generous team over at Suncrest Hospice came together to make this happen. We can't thank you enough! We truly couldn't make a difference without giving people like this. Be sure to follow along our Instagram and Facebook page to see more clinic updates!
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