Our chargers are in action!

Bernard just got back from India with 100 chargers, and now our
chargers are out for intensive testing.   It’s really exciting,
especially as our phone is ringing off the hook for these chargers.
People want to start businesses selling our chargers, interested in
ordering 100 at a time, especially with the challenges faced in the
villages with regards to electricity and water.

To explain a little bit more, in two villages just outside of Arusha,
they have no electricity, but over 70% of the families there own
bicycles and nearly all of them have a phone.   Why the bicycle and
the phone?  To fulfill their basic needs!

They need the bicycle to go to and from town to sell goods, the
bicycle to carry their daily water from the tap, and then the phone to
save them their unnecessary trips and to keep them in touch with their
family in other parts of the region.  The problem is there is still no
access to electricity, at least in an affordable form (many often turn
off their cell phone to save the battery, as they often have to spend
a half day’s income each week to keep their phone with charge).  We
can save them from the continuous expense of charging their phone and
allow them to be accessible at all times of day, especially if they
are day labourers, which is often the case.

As for other things, we’ve already set up three CNFA-trained
agro-dealers with our display bicycles, and we’ll soon be reaching out
to set up our micro-entrepreneurs and salesmen.  We just await the
season, which will be small as farmers harvest their maize early so
that they may plant in time for the major rainy season.  It’s
definitely going to be a challenge, as this small season is also
filled with large expenses….school fees and then seed for the major
harvest.

Stay posted to on how things go this weekend, as GCS will be setting
up a tent at the Kilimanjaro Marathon, where over 4000 people will be
in attendance.  We’re excited, for sure.

–

Jodie | Tanzania