Postcards from the Pearl of Africa: Archive

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Lipstick Evangelism to Clean Energy Evangelism

Solar Sister Learns from Avon: Synopsis of “Avon in Africa” by Linda Scott, Said School of Business, University of Oxford What’s common between a lipstick and a solar light? The answer lies in the way two companies choose to sell their products – one being the largest beauty player in the developing world - Avon; and the other a start-up social enterprise selling life transforming clean energy...

Sep 7th

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Aug 17th

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Aug 8th

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Jul 16th

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May 31st

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May 30th

Birds of a feather →

Read notes from the field from my recent trip to Kenya

May 29th

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Ordinary struggles, extraordinary stories : A...

WHAT IS COMMON BETWEEN THE BATTLES OF A COFFEE QUEEN, A KICKBOXER, A SOLAR SISTER AND AN ORDINARY AFRICAN WOMAN? Do you believe in chance or do you think there is a grand design to the way things happen in our lives or do you believe in Rhonda Byron style “secret” that we make things happen with the power of our will or perhaps Paulo Coelho style universal conspiracies( When you want...

Apr 20th

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Goddesses with Broken Bones

We , The Goddesses with broken bones the Mona Lisa smiles that hide or give away the sorrow and the ecstasy of life A cross on our hearts A trident and a lotus in hands too A sponge absorbing more than it was made to hold but holding up still, somehow anyhow a weight on these hearts of gold we float in dreams of zero gravity globes Nights and days on our side An ocean twirling behind the eyes as...

Apr 7th

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Solar Sister: Building a starfish social...

As the Chief Collaboration Officer of Solar Sister, one of my key tasks is to co-create an eco-system of innovative partnerships connecting the dots between life transforming technologies ( and people making them), development players ( governments, impact investors, foundations, individuals) and people who we ultimately exist to serve ( which is right now our team and customers in East Africa)...

Mar 29th

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This International Women's Day: Be someone's light

Today is International Women’s Day - a celebration of women and a reaffirmation of the quest for breaking the glass ceiling when it comes to women’s economic, political and social well being. A celebration of the young unborn girl child who has a right to live as much as her male counterpart, a young teenage mother who has a right to good health and a life of dignity, a working...

Mar 8th

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Jan 12th

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Messaging the Message of Light : Lesson # 2 -...

It is Christmas and the neighborhood is filled with bright lights, laughter and the beautiful holiday spirit. So in this second piece in the series “Messaging the Message of light”, I want to talk about what it all really comes down to : Light and happiness. I started a recent talk about Solar Sister to a class of Montgomery County Community College in Maryland by asking ”...

Dec 26th

Peace Classroom: The Poetry of Solar Sister →

peaceclassroom: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) calls Solar Sister an “African women led grassroots green energy revolution.” Solar Sister, an organization which won the UN Seed Award this month, is an innovative social enterprise spreading light, hope and opportunity in…

Dec 21st

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Solar Sister: Spreading light, hope and... →

Solar Sister is featured by Eye See Media which believes that: by publishing the true stories and immediate avenues for involvement, we can be part of tipping the scale towards both a more socially conscious consumerism, and the daily actions that ensure equality rather than oppression. many individuals, making small but informed decisions, can be powerful and effective in the fights against...

Dec 21st

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Messaging the message of light : Lesson # 1 - Back...

We have forgotten How it used to be How it used to be How it used to be - Sixpence None the Richer These lyrics from “We have forgotten” by Sixpence None the Richer (listen to it “here” ) come to mind as I think about messaging the message of light which is at the very heart of the challenge posed by energy poverty. The message takes all the more center place given that...

Dec 19th

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Dec 19th

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Dec 19th

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Dec 16th

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Dec 16th

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Dec 2nd

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Nov 23rd

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Nov 16th

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Nov 12th

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The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency and Solar Sister

One of my most favorite pieces of writing on women’s empowerment and breaking age old stereotypes about what a woman can or can not do, is the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith ( which I think should be read by every woman and girl all over the world and no, I don’t work for the publisher Anchor Books!). My dream is to one day do a special screening of...

Nov 8th

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Fuelwood Frankenstein

“I discovered also another means through which I was enabled to assist their labours. I found that the youth spent a great part of each day in collecting wood for the family fire; and, during the night I often took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days…I remember, the first time that I did this, the...

Nov 3rd

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Reflections on the festival of lights

India at night during Diwali by NASA Today, the festival of lights “Deepawali” ( or Diwali, literally meaning lighting rows of lamps) is being celebrated in India and by the Indian diaspora world over. This special festival is a celebration of the symbolic win of light over darkness, good over bad, knowledge over ignorance. Light is so powerful, both literally and metaphorically, for all it...

Oct 27th

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Oct 26th

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Oct 24th

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Oct 21st

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Oct 13th

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When a man speaks up for women

What happens when a man speaks up for women rights because it was a woman who struggled to raise him through times of war and personal adversity, gave him education, helped him stand on his own feet and taught him to help others help themselves? Meet Opio David - the young, energetic and passionate founder of Mukisa Women’s Group, a Community Based Organization (CBO), in the slums of Nsambya...

Oct 7th

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Coca Cola, Cell Phones and the African Village:...

During my recent trip to Uganda, I had the opportunity to spend an intense one month living in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and travelling far from the city to the countryside filled with vignettes of African life. I made several road trips to the central, eastern and northern parts of Uganda to meet with Solar Sister teams. No matter how far I went, I saw four colors: Yellow, Red, Orange and...

Oct 6th

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Coca Cola, Cell Phones and the African Village:...

During my recent trip to Uganda, I had the opportunity to spend an intense one month living in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and travelling far from the city to the countryside filled with vignettes of African life. I made several road trips to the central, eastern and northern parts of Uganda to meet with Solar Sister teams. No matter how far I went, I saw four colors: Yellow, Red, Orange and...

Oct 6th

2 tags

Coca Cola, Cell Phones and the African Village:...

During my recent trip to Uganda, I had the opportunity to spend an intense one month living in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and travelling far from the city to the countryside filled with vignettes of African life. I made several road trips to the central, eastern and northern parts of Uganda to meet with Solar Sister teams. No matter how far I went, I saw four colors: Yellow, Red, Orange and...

Oct 6th

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Oct 5th

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Oct 4th

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Sep 23rd

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Meet Martin

Meet Martin: driver, linguist, boxer, commentator on Ugandan history, culture and politics, Solar Sister customer and friend. Martin drove me from one wave of meetings to another in and around Kampala since my first day at the guest house which soon became my home away from home. Martin grew up in Jinja district in Eastern Uganda where his family lives (where the source of river Nile is) and...

Sep 21st

She is shy no more

One common thread between my trips across Uganda, meeting with Solar Sister entrepreneurs, has been to find the best ways that we can encourage the women to realize their hidden potential and to come out from the veils of shyness : to learn what stops them and what inspires them. This especially applies to starting entrepreneurs. How can the new entrepreneur use the power of persuasion to...

Sep 13th

Sep 6th

What's common between a bride and solar power?

What is common between a bride and solar power? I found the answer at Solar Brother Joshua’s ( yes, we have Solar Brothers too!) wedding with Jean ( even their names rhyme!). Weddings are such a great way to immerse in any culture and I am so glad that the timing of my visit to Uganda coincided with Joshua’s wedding. Mary and I reached in the evening just as the reception was...

Sep 5th

Sep 2nd

Sep 1st

Aug 26th

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Aug 21st

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Aug 20th

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Aug 17th

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Watch

Swahili (known in Swahili itself as Kiswahili) )is a Bantu language that serves as a second language to various groups traditionally inhabiting parts of the East African coast ( thanks Wikipedia). It is also one of the official languages of Uganda ( the other one being English). The above clip is about a documentary on Tanzania’s “vibanda vya videos” (video parlours) where average Tanzanians...

Aug 17th

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