Meet smart, sassy and very eloquent Solar Sister Mary Arukut from Kumi, Eastern Uganda. Mary was one of the many incredible Solar Sister Entrepreneurs I met at the end of a 4.5 hours journey from the capital Kampala, where we were welcomed with a Solar Sister song. From the moment she said her first sentence in the meeting, I knew Mary is a natural leader and is going to make great strides as both a Solar Sister star and as a voice of the African women.
Beaming like a solar light herself, Mary explained to me why she is so proud to be called a Solar Sister. In this video she tells how Solar Sister is helping fight poverty - she uses solar power for not just light, which avoids a trip to the market to buy costly kerosene but also to charge her cell phone. As she says - “I am now connected!”. Mary also draws attention to the risk to health and property through smoke and fire from kerosene lanterns. Now people are healthy. ” Just too good for it!”, says Mary ,”You see business worldwide. It can empower women! You see me, I’m too proud. It has lifted me from nowhere to somewhere. All of you are most welcome - join Solar Sister.”
What stood out most for me from the meeting with Mary was how people often think of rural women to be meek and weak. Not this woman and not everywoman. Women have a voice. Its just that some haven’t found their’s yet, while others are ready to lead new kinds of revolutions across the world by giving their voice to help others find their’s as well. Mary is one of them. After her interview, Mary very generously volunteered to be a translator for sharing stories of other women in the group who did not speak English. I say more power to Mary and many more Marys. In a wave of inspiration from Mary, here is a new kind of nursery rhyme I wrote:
Mary had a little lamp,
little lamp, little lamp.
Mary had a little lamp.
But Mary was a Solar Sister now.
Solar Sister now, Solar Sister now.
Solar Sister Mary had a little lamp.
Her lamp was no ordinary kind of lamp.
A solar lamp, a solar lamp.
Mary had a little solar lamp
Little solar lamp, little solar lamp.
It was little but mighty strong.
Mighty strong. mighty strong.
Mary had a little mighty solar lamp.
Little mighty solar lamp, little mighty solar lamp.
It glowed bright as sun with power from sun.
little mighty solar lamp with power from sun, power from sun.
Everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went
The little mighty solar lamp with power from sun was sure to go.
It followed her to night market one night.
Night market one night, night market one night.
But night market was used to darkness at night.
Darkness at night, darkness at night.
Mary’s little mighty solar lamp with power from sun
made night market people’s eyes open wide,
very wide, very very wide.
To have good and healthy light after sun went down
After sun went down, sun went down.
Thanks to Solar Sister Mary with
little mighty solar lamp with power from sun!
Everyone has light at night now- banana man, cassava lady,
pineapple man, jackfruit lady, little girl, boy, father and mum!
Thanks to Solar Sister Mary with
little mighty solar lamp with power from sun, power from sun!
-Neha
