Solar panels for Mavuno's orphanage

In the districts of Karagwe and Kyerwa, Tanzania, many children are orphaned or come from family situations where they can not be taken care of. These children live under difficult conditions and often have to work even though they are obliged to attend school. Too many have been exposed to violence and various types of abuse.

The local organisation Mavuno has constructed an orphanage. The buildings are finished, and only the power system and parts of the water supply is lacking as of november 2019.

Engineers Without Borders Sweden (EWB-SWE) has taken on the task to design and construct a power system for the orphanage. The internal wiring was carried out early 2019, and during the summer of 2019 EWB-SWE had a team in Tanzania carrying out a load analysis and basic system design together with Mavuno. The system will be a stand-alone PV-battery system. In the fall of 2019, the final system design has been developed, and the power system will be installed by a local entrepreneur early 2020.

We are happy to announce that the technology and IT consulting company ALTEN Sweden has donated substantial amounts as Christmas gifts covering nearly the total cost for the Solar PV system including internal wiring.

The orphanage is built close to the Mavuno Girls Modal Secondary School, a boarding school for girls where about half of the students are orphaned or come from low-income families. The boarding school has been in operation since 2016 and the students at this school have the best study results throughout the district. The girls at the boarding school who do not have a family or relatives will also be able to have a home in the orphanage during the holidays. According to the plan, the orphanage starts its ordinary operation in the first quarter of 2020, though already since late 2019 the buildings have been used to accommodate particularly vulnerable young girls not yet enrolled at the Mavuno Girls Modal Secondary School.

Mavuno is a local Tanzanian aid organisation that works to improve the quality of life in the rural areas of Karagwe and Kyerwa in northwestern Tanzania. Mavuno works with a variety of initiatives to strengthen the local community. The focus is on support for poor farmers in matters of cultivation, education, water, sanitation and energy issues. The initiatives are aimed at vulnerable groups in society such as children, young people, women and older people.

Engineers Without Borders has been working with Mavuno for a long time and value the cooperation with this local organisation. Mavuno has been active in the area for 25 years and has strong support and high confidence from the local community.

Contact
international.projects@ewb-swe.org