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Solar Electricity Generating Panel Project for Qiake Township
Project Manager: Renzin Drolma (Evelyn)
Buy 50 solar electricity panels to supply solar electricity to 50 households in Qiake Township. Connect villagers to the outside world, create a more convenient nighttime work environment, lightening women's burden.
Funds needed: $3,909 (30,400 rmb) |
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Renzin Drolma (Evelyn) is from Zeku County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, China. She is currently working towards a Bachelors degree in English in the Qinghai Normal University Nationalities Department's English Training Program
Project Location:
This project is located in Qiake Township, Zeku County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Qiake Township is adjacent to Zeku County Town. It is located in south of Xining City, the provincial city of Qinghai; it's about 300km away from Xining City, 97km away from Hungnan Autonomous Prefecture Town.
Population:
There are approximately 56,929 people in Zeku County (27,012 women and 29,917 men). There are about 5,009 people (653 school-aged children.) in Qiake Township - 1,769 women, 3,240 men.
Education and Official Government Positions:
About 92.33% of the school aged children (631 students) are currently receiving education. About 90.51% of the local girls are entering school (340 female students). About 60.71% of the local students graduate from primary school and 27.27% graduate from middle school in Qiake Township. There are 61 official workers with government jobs. There are 54 official workers from minority groups (Tibetan and Hui), 88.52% of the total.
Cash income:
In Qiake Township about 4,948 people live on animal husbandry, earning around 500rmb per year per household from selling yaks, sheep, butter, cheese and wool. This amount is all average families have to spend on food, medicine, fuel, clothes and transportation. There are about 61 official workers who are paid by government and earn about 1000rmb per month.
Herding:
Zeku County is a nomadic area, so almost every family raises livestock.
Agriculture :
There is no agriculture in Qiake Township due to the cold weather and 3800m altitudes. It is not a suitable environment for staple crops, trees and vegetables.
Problems:
There is no electricity for the nomadic people of Qiake Township. Lack of electricity causes several problems for the nomads:
1. Isolation: Villagers have difficulty getting information of the outside world, because they can't listen to radios and watch TVs without electricity. Many only hear news from the few locals that travel or from guests .
2. The nomad's only source of light is dim butter lamps and candles. Working under dim candlelight is difficult and inconvenient for women, because in herding areas women work more than men do and they cannot finish everything in the daytime. So women have to work at night (make butter, wash, cook dinner, prepare food for the next day, etc.), but they work under the dim light of candles, which is difficult on the eyes. Some families are so poor they even can't afford candles, so they use paraffin lamps, which are more harmful for the lungs than the candles.
3. The local students' performance is generally poor. Children, especially girls, spend much of their time out of class helping their families, such as taking care of younger children, doing housework, herding livestock and fetching water. Therefore, they do not have much time for studying outside of the classroom. Studying must be done at nighttime by candlelight, which lowers enthusiasm for studying because of the ill effects on the eyes. In addition, students who do not finish their homework are punished by a teacher, which also negatively affects attitudes towards education.
4. Chemicals in the smoke from butter lamps and candles or paraffin lamps damages eyes and lungs.
5. Households use butter to produce dim lights at night. If not used for candles, this butter could have been eaten or sold. Money is used for candles and paraffin lamps, which could be saved to buy other items. On average, each family spends between 50 and 100rmb on candles and paraffin lamps each year. This amounts to a substantial portion of the average villagers' yearly income.
Project goals and benefits:
The immediate goal of the project is to buy 50 solar electricity panels to supply solar electricity to 50 households in Qiake Township. Around 200 local villagers will benefit from this project.
Solutions and benefits:
1. The villagers will view or get information about the outside world; if the project can be accomplished, then the villagers will be able to listen to the radio and get information about the outside world.
2. Women will have more time to rest because electric light will create a more convenient nighttime work environment. Women will have more time to sleep if they finish their work earlier with the help of brighter light. Also, women will have time to do other things that they like, such as listen to the radio or chat with other women.
3. The local students' performance will increase and attitudes towards school will improve because they can study and finish their homework on time with the help of brighter electric light.
4. Health problems will reduce because smoke from butter lamps, candles and paraffin lamps negatively affect villagers' lungs and eyesight. If the solar panel project will be accomplished, then the harm to the villagers' health will decrease.
5. Butter is an important basic food in Tibetan areas, and every year the local people use 1/4 of their butter for butter lamps. If the solar panel project is accomplished, they can use that butter as food or may sell it to improve their cash income. Some families don't have many livestock, and therefore they cannot produce enough butter to use some for lamps. Then, they must buy candles or cheap paraffin lamps, spending money that could be used for other necessities. Solar panels would enable families to save between 50 and 100rmb each year.
Project Activities:
1. Visit Qiake Township and ask about local needs (already completed)
2. Ask Geng Zang Jia to distribute the solar panels along with the project manager (already completed)
3. Write proposal (already completed)
4. Send proposal to donor
5. Receive Funds
6. Hire a truck to transport the solar panels to Qiake Township.
7. Purchase solar panels from Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture's Nima Brand Company. Shem women's group has worked extensively with the Nima company, and we know that the quality is excellent, that they follow through with their warrantees if there are any problems, and that it is an excellent deal for a low price.
8. Supervise distribution
9. Monitor project
10. Interview local people (children, women and men)
11. Take pictures
12. Write final report
13. Send final report to donor with all pictures and receipts.
Timeframe:
This project will take seven days from the time the proposal is approved:
· 1 day: Hold a meeting in the village.
· 2 days: Purchase the solar panels with the township leader in Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Town.
· 2 days: Transport the solar panels to Qiake Township.
· 2 days: Distribute solar panels to the recipients.
Detailed Budget:
Donor Contribution
Item |
Price per item |
Number of items |
Donor Contribution |
Solar Panel |
700rmb |
50 |
30,000rmb |
Transportation fee |
300rmb/per truck |
1 truck |
300rmb (transportation fee) |
Management expenses( Phone call, photocopy, mail and develop photos )
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100rmb |
Total |
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30,400rmb |
Local Contribution:
Item |
Price per item |
Number of items |
Local Contribution |
Solar Panel
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700rmb |
50 |
5,000rmb |
Management fee
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500rmb |
Total
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5500rmb |
Total project cost:
Donor contribution |
Local contribution |
Total Cost |
30,400rmb ( 3,909 US$)
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5,500rmb |
35,900 rmb |
Gender equality:
If this project is accomplished, women in Qiake Township will have more time to join village activities. Women have a lower position than men; both men and women think men are more knowledgeable than women. Generally, only men have the time to attend village activities or village meetings, where they learn news and ideas; women have no time to attend these activities. So if women have more time, they will have extra time to attend other activities, such as village meetings, and would have more say in local decisions and hear more news. As a woman from this community, if I can accomplish this project, many people will see women also can do project to help others, not only this but also will think women who attend school ,who gained knowledge are really different than those who didn't or couldn't gain an education. Therefore, although there may not be an enormous change immediately, this project will help my villagers to see that not only men can do things like projects, but women also.
Governmental support:
In December 2005, I discussed this project with the township leader, Geng Zang Jia. He discussed this with the county leader. Geng Zang Jia, and gave me full permission to go forward with this project and encouraged it, because it can help poor families in an important way.
Sustainability:
Solar panels are purchased from Nima Brand Company, which guarantees battery for one to two years and also guarantees the generating panel for ten years. The company will exchange the solar panels in a short amount of time if there is a problem. If the solar panel have problems, the villagers will contact the township leader (Geng Zang Jia) and he can contact Rig 'zin dhual mo (Evelyn) or the Nima Company for repairs or replacement. Otherwise, the township leader will find someone to repair a damaged solar panel and the cost will paid by the villagers.
Additional information:
Rig 'zin dhual mo (Evelyn) started learning English in 2001. In winter of 2005 she completed two-second hand-clothing projects supported by Sue Bishsop at the British Consulate in Shanghai.
Map of the project location: 
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