Several very interesting possibilities exist for expanding the lighting project well beyond its current scope. One idea is to work with Suryodaya Urja Ltd. and use radio to get village women’s groups or other social groups to come forward and request help with lighting. We would potentially provide lighting at the manufacturer’s cost or some other reasonably subsidized price. The solar components and installation labor would either be sold at retail or if fund-raising permitted: a subsidized price. I would imagine provide detailed information on existing installations and the social organization as well as the details of collecting funds, maintenance issues etc. These are preliminary thoughts and will require a great deal more thought.
Another possibility exists to work with existing NGOs that are already doing solar lighting projects and see if they would be interested in our model of central village charging, portable quality lanterns and working with the village Mothers’ Group or other relevant existing social structure.
