Projects

This project is to provide 50 solar generating electricity panels to bring light into the life of most impoverished nomads in Jatsa Village. And to endow them with a hope for better living condition and empower the women and children by providing adequate information access and proper living environment.

Funds needed:$5,735(40,650rmb)

Wende zhuoma is from Geygu Town, Yushu County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Currently she is pursuing master degree in Miriam College, Philippines. She is major in Master of Science in Environmental Studies. She will be graduating in March, 2008.

Project location
The project will be located in Jatsa Village, Upper Laxiu District, Yushu County, Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province, and PRC. Jatsa Village is located in Northeast of Yushu County, 90 kilometers away from the county town Gyegu and 890 kilometers away from Silan (Xining) the provincial capital city of Qinghai Province.

Population

Jatsa Village is consisted of 140 households, over 780 people. Among which 30% of the population is female and 40% of the population is consisted of male. And another 30% is consisted of children.

Education

The education level in the village is generally very low. The illiteracy level is very high. Few years ago a primary school was built in the village. However, the enrolment of the children is very low. Moreover, most of the children who have enrolled in the school ended up dropping from the school soon after they can work as an adult. Currently, no one from the village has studied in the college.

Cash Income

The villagers’ only source of annual income is caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis), which has very short growing season of two months from May to June. Caterpillar fungus is a valuable medicinal herb which is parasitic fungi. More over, the quality of the caterpillar fungus in the area is not very good and it is very sparsely distributed. Therefore, each family can only earn an average of 2,000 RMB annually to sustain

their basic subsistence.

Due to the remote location of the area, they rarely have a chance for trade and barter. Further, in majority of the cases they can barely sustain the basic need for survival and surplus is hardly produced. The mere cash income of 2,000rmb has to be spent for all the house necessities, which usually turn out to be insufficient.

Herding

In last few decades, pastureland of northern plateau has seriously degraded. Rodents has suddenly broken out and exacerbated the degradation process of pastureland. The government implemented ecological migration project as a control management. This project required relocation of some nomads to the town and reduction of livestock for those left behind. The number of livestock has already reduced since the worsening condition of the pastureland couldn’t support big number of livestock. The safeguard of the nomads are already in danger. In addition, the government still requested de-stocking in each household, only 5 livestock are allowed. According to the research some family even don’t have 5 head per capita, but for those who have they were ordered to reduce the quota. In present, the survival of these nomads strongly and seriously weighs against a sudden break of natural calamities, such as a snow disaster or dry summer.

Agriculture

Due to the harsh environment condition associated with cold climate, and strong wind, the agriculture is not adaptable in the area. Therefore, there is no source of income from agricultural sector.

The Need of the Project

Historically the village has no electricity and no school, only very recently the village has established a primary school. The school is the only place where a dim of light is observed at night. The teachers’ dorm and office is supplied with electricity, which is powered by petrol gas for two hours every night.

During my research, I observed the students crowding under the dim light that shone through the windows of the office and the dorms studying and reciting like flies at dark night circling under a light bulb. For the rest of the nomads, bright light at night is only a story of towns and their dreams. When I interviewed the village leader, he deeply expressed the difficulty of having no light and no money to buy solar generating panels. In addition, the need of this project is deeply associated with several reasons below:

l Overall health condition of the nomads has worsened due to the smoke from burning of kerosene and butter lamp. Evidently, the frequent diagnosing of positive TB, respiratory diseases and bronchitis as well as other lung related problems indicate high risk of burning these materials as light resource. According to the local villagers, these health problems are more severe among the children and women.

l Lack of electricity has increased the workload of women and decreased their leisure time. A nomadic woman has to start work as early as four or five, followed with sequence of routine work from serving the family, caring the livestock to mind every house chores. The women can hardly attend any work under the dim light of kerosene or butter lamp. Therefore, they have to finish every work during the day time and they don’t have any leisure time for resting and attend other social activities.

l Purchasing of kerosene and candles has become an economic burden of the nomads. Considering the low income of the nomads, sufficient supply of these materials is even considered as extravagant. In average, each family has to spend at least 200rmb annually just for the candles, yet with their low income they still have to buy other daily necessities, medicine and food.

l Lack of electricity is also one of the main reasons for low enrollment of female students in the school. The girls in the family usually have to help their mothers to attend daily house chores and care for the livestock. Therefore, there is no time for the girls to study. As result, the school attendance of the female is very low. Even those who are enrolled have little time to study.

l The nomads are totally isolated from the outside world due to inadequate communication and information access resulted by lack of electricity and remote location.

Project Goals

The immediately goal of this project is to provide 50 solar generating electricity panels to bring light into the life of most impoverished nomads in Jatsa Village. And to endow them with a hope for better living condition and empower the women and children by providing adequate information access and proper living environment.

Benefits of the project

Improve the living condition of the impoverished nomads by providing them with solar generating electricity panels

This project aims to reduce the economic burden of the impoverished nomads to improve their living condition. By providing them with solar generating electricity panels, the families can save the expense for candles and kerosene, which is over 200rmb. More over, they can either consume the butter, which they have to save for butter lamp or they can sell them. In addition, this project will also generate local income. The local productivity can be improved since more works could be done at night.

Improve the social role of women in the nomadic community

This project will greatly improve the social role of women in nomadic community. Sufficient supply of bright light at night allows women to do some works at night which formerly has to be done during the day time due to inconvenience of working at night. Therefore with solar electricity generating panels they can participate in some social and religious activities during the day time instead of working. The women’s work load will be less tensely scheduled.

Improve the literacy level among the nomads, especially among the girls

The over all enrollment of the nomads will be increased since they will have more leisure time as direct result of having electricity resource. This project will reduce the labor requirement from the children, allow them with more time for study, especially the young girls since their mothers will have more time to work. The school achievement of those girls who are enrolled will also be improved, since they will have more time to study.

Improve the information and communication access of the nomads

This project will provide the nomads with adequate information and communication access. With solar generation electricity panels they will be able to play radio and access to the world outside. In this way, they will be more closely related to the world outside and expand their knowledge of the world outside.

Improve the health condition of the nomads

This project aims to improve the health condition of the nomads by provide them with a clean living environment. The women and children who are always working in smoky kitchen are more vulnerable to lung diseases and eyesight problem. This project will reduce the high safety risk of these women and children.

Project Beneficiaries

l This project will directly benefit 45impoverished households, 315 villagers, in Jatsa Village, and 80 nuns from Jatsa Nunnery. Totally of 395 people will be benefited from this project. 45 solar generating electricity panels will be distributed to the poorest families in the village. 5 solar generating panels will be distributed to the nunnery for public use. （Two will be used in chanting room, and two in shrine room, one in Kitchen）.

l This project will indirectly benefit other neighborhoods in the village. For instance, the villagers can participate in the other village activities or religious activities hold at night under the solar panel.

l The families of 80 nuns will be indirectly benefited. The nuns will no longer need to take butter and candles from their families. In this way it also reduces the economic burden of their families.

l This project will especially benefit the women and children in the village.

a. The women will be able to increase their leisure time, and reduce their heavy work load. During the day time they can participate in other social activities instead of working at home, since they can leave the work for night.

b. In nomadic areas it is usually the man who travel to towns and other places, but women and children rarely get chance for traveling. Solar generating panel can play radio which creates information access to the world outside. Thus it can improve the knowledge of the women and children.

c. The children will have more time to study and play. In addition, the health condition of these environmental victimized groups will be greatly improved.

d. Managing of this project by a woman also encourages local villages to respect women and believe in their capacity to work.

Governmental Support

This project is identified by the local village leader Jiangba and further discussed with the project applicant. Therefore, this project is very supportive of the local villages and the local village leader Jiangba. This project is also discussed with the local government via the villager leader in month of October 2007. The local government consisted of village leader; village secretary expressed their support in the project, because the development of these small remote communities is usually neglected by the government. Further, the local government encourages more people to devote in grass root community development to help these marginalized communities.

Environmental Concern

Grassland degradation has seriously threatened safeguard of these impoverished nomads. They are swaying at the edge of losing their domain which is their source of livelihood. Without grassland they can’t maintain the domesticated livestock, which means they have no source of livelihood. Therefore, at this moment of history, it is very important to take environmental concerns into consideration of every project that are implemented in these areas.

This project will be environmentally sound and very friendly. Solar generating panels are purely powered by solar energy. It has no content of any pollutants. More over, it protects the environment by providing a sustainable and clean light resource. This project also prevents villagers from seek for other environmentally unfriendly light resources such as petrol gas.

Project Steps

1. Visit the project site (JatsaVillage), identify the need of the project. (Done)

2. Discuss with the village leader on need of the project and situation of the village. (Done)

3. Apply fund for 50 solar generating electricity panels.(done)

4. Once the fund is secured, hold meeting with village leaders. Decide how to manage solar panel distribution.

5. Collect local contribution from villagers.

6. Purchase solar panels from Nima Company in Qinghai provincial capital City-Xining.

7. Transport the solar generating electricity panels from Xining to Gyegu Town.

8. Hire a truck to transport the solar generating panels from Gyegu to Jatsa Village.

9. Hold meeting with the village and instruct the village on how to use the solar panels.

10. Distribute the solar generating electricity panels.

11. Interview the villagers after the implementation of the project.

12. Collect the information and evaluate the project’s achievement.

13. Send final report.

Time Duration of the project

· 3 days to purchase the solar generating electricity panels in Xining.

· 3 days to transport the solar generating electricity panels from Xining to Gyegu.

· 1 day to transport the solar generating electricity panels from Gyegu to Jatsa Village.

· 1 day to hold the local meeting.

· 1 day to give instructions and distribute the solar generating electricity panels.

· 10 days after the implementation of the project, collect the data for final report.

Project budget

Item	Price per item in rmb	Number of items	Donor contri bution (rmb)	Local Contri bution ( rmb)	Other resou rces ( rmb) (Shem Women’s Group)	Total cost (rmb)
Solar Pane l	900 (including transportation fee from Xining to Gyegu)	50	40,000	5,000		45,000
Transpo rtation	450	1(Gyegu- Jatsa)	450			450
Manage ment expense	350		200	150		350
Manage ment Payment					500	500
Total			40,650	5,150	500	46,300

Donor contribution: 40,650rmb

Local contribution: 5150rmb

Shem contribution: 500rmb

Sustainability of the project

The quality of solar generating electricity panels are very good based on former projects completed by Shem Women’s Group and other solar panel users. The company also assures five years of guarantee on their products. They will repair any dysfunction within the five years. According to the users of Nima Solar generating electricity panel, it can usually last for around ten years if it is properly managed.

If anything broken or any technical problems occurred within five years after the purchase, the company will be responsible for repair. In this case the villager or the solar panel holder has to either contact the villager leader or project manager Wende Drolma. The company provides 2light bulbs, 7m of electrical line and a battery. These components are purchasable in county town after the warrantee expired.

The villagers will also contribute a considerable amount of money (100 rmb) in this project. Considering their low economic income and current inflation economic condition of China, 100rmb is already a considerable amount for the impoverished nomads. This contribution and high quality of the solar panel ensure that the villagers will take good care of the solar panels that they receive.

Wende Drolma will instructor the villagers on how to operate their solar panels and basic maintenance knowledge before the distribution of the panels.

Past experiences

Wende Drolma has done several projects in the past. She has successfully completed a solar panel project in 2004 in Renqing Lan Monastery supported by Canada Fund. She has also completed two second hand clothes project in 2005 supported by British Sue Bishop. In addition, in the same year she has completed a potable water project which was supported by Canada Fund.

Additional Information

The project applicant Wende Drolma has conducted her research in the area during September and October 2007. During her research, as a field participant, she observed impoverished living condition of nomads, and women’s heavy daily chores. She saw women mending and separating milk under dim light of butter. She experienced difficulty of writing and reading under smoky light of candle. After her discussion with the village leader, she strongly felt the need of bright light to bring hope into life of these impoverished nomads.

Map of the project location