2023 Southern Kachin State Residential Installations
The people from two communities within the Southern Kachin State are finally returning home after being displaced for the last 10 years.
After fleeing in 2012 due to armed conflicts in their area, some families have decided to come back home and rebuild their lives. Amid concerns of safety after dark, we were honored to do our part in supporting their journey and in March 2023, installed 111 solar home systems free of cost to bring solar energy access to over 560 displaced people.
In August 2022, we kicked off this project by conducting a site assessment for the communities, meeting with the families to understand their energy needs and environmental conditions. Over the next several months, the team assembled the solar home systems and worked to transport them to communities. Despite extreme weather and local armed conflicts, our team was able to successfully and safely transport materials to the communities.
At the beginning of each installation project, it is important for us to introduce ourselves, explain to the residents how the solar home systems work, and answer any questions.
With our 4-person team, we installed 50 solar home systems in 8 days at the first location. The local community helped out immensely by coordinating teams to assist with the materials’ distribution and delivery and other aspects of the installation.
At the second location, it took our team only 6 days to complete 61 installations: 60 solar home systems, plus 1 system at a teachers’ dorm in the community to ensure their teachers had access to light at night.
We were able to provide these installations free of cost to the residents through the help of our generous donors. Atutu’s solar energy solutions will provide the residents with reliable energy access every single night. Having access to electricity will promote a sense of safety, dignity, and opportunity to the families who are rebuilding their lives.
