Postcards from the Pearl of Africa

Lipstick Evangelism to Clean Energy Evangelism

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:44:00 -0400

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 to rural Africa – Solar Sister. The answer is the power of women’s perseverance and ingenuity to succeed against all odds. The answer is light, hope and opportunity.

Professor Linda Scott from the Said Business School has written an excellent case study “Avon in Africa”.The study traces Avon’s origins in America, subsequent growth as a global consumer brand and success in South Africa. Avon has played a key role in proving a vital opportunity to open new doors of economic well being for millions of women around the world. The lessons, especially from the South African example, are key for anyone concerned with women’s empowerment in Africa (and beyond)– both in microcosm of a woman’s personal economic freedom and in the macro picture of what women’s enterprise can do for poverty alleviation.

Women’s economic empowerment is at the heart of Solar Sister’s mission, albeit with a twist that while Avon ladies are lipstick evangelists of sorts, Solar Sisters are clean energy evangelists, quite literally bringing light to their families and communities. Learning from Avon’s ups and downs is thus priceless education for our growth. The following summarizes key lessons that emerge from Prof. Scott’s case study:

Lesson # 1: Core Values and Mission are larger than the “Product” line (the former drives the latter and not vice versa) – Avon’s corporate mission is empowerment of women, rather than being tied to the benefits of a product line as it more common amongst consumer sector manufacturers. Avon is a “Company for the Women”. (At heart of Solar Sister’s own mission is the commitment to reduce the gender - technology gap to build a bottom up green economy that includes women. Clean technology is an important means to an equally important end – helping women as both consumers and sellers of clean energy access related products and services.)

Lesson # 2: Help Your Sales Team Visualize What The Opportunity Means – An Avon group leader shares how she would motivate her team by telling them that one body lotion was equal to a loaf of bread, so if they sold five of them, their kids would have bread for the whole week, and if they sold 10 they could even buy sugar. (In this recent film by Ripple Effects Images, Solar Sister Chatal from Rwanda tells her children that now they can have sugar thanks to her income from Solar Sister.)

Lesson # 3 Have Local Brand Ambassadors (vs. Hollywood celebrities)– Avon learnt this firsthand in South Africa. The case study notes that Avon’s global brand ambassador Salma Hayek failed to leave a mark on the South African target demographic – women of color who simply did not recognize/ associate with Salma Hayek. Likewise, Reese Witherspoon went unnoticed. It was not until Avon brought Connie Ferguson, a local soap opera star, that Avon brand really received wide local recognition.

Lesson # 4: Minimize the Start-up Risk for Low Income Women – There are many direct selling companies with great products to offer, albeit with a daunting start up capital. In contrast, Avon’s start up fees brings down the start up capital (at about $12) to open to business opportunity to a larger group of women. Sometimes, when the women can’t afford even that, the recruiting “upline” loans the start up fees. If a candidate can’t afford credit. Avon lets her start on a cash basis and build up credit, many reps have built their way into the system this way. (Solar Sister uses micro-consignment to reduce start-up business risk for rural African women that it equips with a “business in a bag”)

Lesson # 5: Persistence is a Valued Skill For Developing New Markets despite the market failures – It took Avon 5 years to become profitable in South Africa, as is the norm when the company enters a new country. This is despite the multitude of challenges like extreme poverty, lack of formal credit checks for new recruits and customers, lack of access to banks In some cases and the need to come up with innovative methods to collect payments (like working with Post Offices and major retailers), dealing with gender based violence, both inside and outside the Avon ladies’ houses.

Lesson # 6 Offer a Variety of Products, Combined With A Creative Marketing Strategy – Customers ( especially in emerging economies) value a variety of products at a variety of price points. Avon agents in South Africa focused on selling deodorants and body lotions to relatively lower income customers who considered these products as “necessary”. The more wealthy customers bought nail care and colored make up items like lipsticks and eye shadows. Avon’s key marketing tool is its brochure ( one of the largest publications in the world, according to the case study!), which is at heart of its sales “campaigns” with variety of price points and “specials” to choose from.

Lesson # 7 Pay Attention to training, recognition and support – Avon recognizes that at the heart of any successful business is its people. It is thus vital to spend time and resources in training and rewarding both financially and in terms of career advancements opportunities. Avon reps compete for prizes and trips, along with bonuses and commissions (note that the original Avon model allowed reps to earn commission only on their own sales). A survey of Avon reps found that they felt they learnt skills that could be used in other employment opportunities as well. Avon emphasized that its reps learn banking skills. The survey found that 92% of Avon reps had their own bank account, a much higher number than an average of 32% for the women of color in the country.

These are invaluable lessons for Solar Sister team as we grow from the vision of our founder Katherine Lucey to a shared vision of our growing staff, Solar Sister entrepreneurs and multitude of partners that support our mission. Patty Berg one of the first 10 women pro golfers said that the best beauty secret is “Always keep learning. It keeps you young”. So the education continues..

Learn more about Prof. Linda Scott’s research on globalization and women’s empowerment at: http://www.doublexeconomy.com/

Secrets of a Shining Face! In this laughter filled video, a...

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:25:00 -0400

Secrets of a Shining Face!

In this laughter filled video, a Solar Sister entrepreneur shares the secret of her shining face. The Solar Sister business has helped her by giving her the opportunity to make some money to meet her needs. She says earlier she used kerosene lanterns which made her clothes grimy, as she inhaled smoke. From her very first income from Solar Sister, she bought herself a solar light. Now her face is shining and when her children are home during the holidays, she doesn’t have to worry about the danger of kerosene any more. A happy customer is the best marketing for a product or service. And when that customer is a mother and a women whose life is a little better because of light, it is all the more powerful! That is why Solar Sister’s best testimonials comes from the women whose lives are transformed both by access to clean energy, and by the livelihood opportunity it provides.

Solar Sister = Safety, Groceries, Friends I love working for...

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:24:00 -0400

Solar Sister = Safety, Groceries, Friends

I love working for Solar Sister. This video is one reason why. Actually, make it three reasons. In this video, an entrepreneur shares what being a Solar Sister means to her. One, it means safety of her children who she no longer has to leave in the vicinity of dangerous kerosene lamps when she ventures out for daily errands or work. Two, it means she can proudly contribute money to the family groceries. Three, it means friends for it is the “Sister” in Solar Sister that makes us click as much as the power of African sun. Solar Sister entrepreneurs form such great friendships with each other. They inspire and support each other. They understand their shared hopes and dreams for that’s what friendship is about. To be a part of a social business that brings safety, groceries and friends - now that’s a three in one package!

Neha Misra serves as the Chief Collaboration Officer for Solar Sister . You can contact her at neha@solarsister.org

Viktor Frankl: Why to believe in others

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:22:53 -0400

Viktor Frankl: Why to believe in others

Solar Sister’s dedicated team at a training session in...

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:31:00 -0400

Solar Sister’s dedicated team at a training session in Mityana, Central Uganda! I wish I’d ever been to a class with each student concentrating as our determined Solar Sister entrepreneurs are in this photo here!

Meet Solar Sister Harriet from Mityana, Central Uganda. I met...

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:37:00 -0400

Meet Solar Sister Harriet from Mityana, Central Uganda. I met Harriet on my recent trip to Uganda. We were organizing a training program for the Mityana team under the leadership of Evelyn Namara, Solar Sister’s Uganda Program Coordinator, Mary Nankinga, Regional Coordinator for Central Uganda and Eva Walusimbi, Star Solar Sister ( seen translating here). In this video Solar Sister Harriet gives a strong personal testimony filled with laughter, sisterhood and pride on being a Solar Sister. Her message is strong for it reflects what economic empowerment and a green economy can truly mean to a woman. She has been able to pay her child’s school fees with her earnings and is glowing with self-belief!

- Notes from the field by Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer, Solar Sister

Birds of a feather

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:28:00 -0400

Birds of a feather :

Read notes from the field from my recent trip to Kenya

Ordinary struggles, extraordinary stories : A flight of inspiration!

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:21:00 -0400

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 something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it) I’d like to believe in things that are meant to be - and their finding a way to come to us. I’d also like to believe in both our will and willingness to listen and learn. And so, as I was flying from Nairobi to Kampala last evening to meet with Solar Sister’s team to discuss strategy and action, the best possible reading came to me. And to think it came in between munching on a hot vegetable puff served onboard a one hour delayed one hour connecting Kenyan airways flight, writing poetry in the sky ( muse loves flying it seems!) and flipping through the inflight magazineMSAFIRI ( mainly to confirm if the pilot had indeed just announced that we had to pay for the food and how much I should pay - as one does in many American flights these days..turns out false alarm!;) ). As I flipped through the pages on this last leg of a stop, 22 hour flight from Washington, D.C., a bright red page caught my attention with hard to miss headline, and even harder to miss action picture of Kenyan kickboxer Vava Angwenyi (see below).

This picture and the headline is in a way the essence of Solar Sister’s work at large and my trip in particular. Here’s how:

What do Vava Angwenyi and Solar Sister have in common? Women + Enterprise

Wawa is a kickboxer and a black belt in the new Olympic sport Taekwondo. But sports is not the only arena where she’s breaking ( hope not literally!) stereotypes for women everywhere. Vava is also a social entrepreneur. She is the founder of Vava Coffee, a fair trade coffee company she started to create substantial positive changes for coffee farmers in Kenya and beyond its borders. Beyond the coffee farmers livelihoods, Vava creates jobs along the supply chain - for example, the packaging is done by a group of former street children and a women’s collective in Nairobi’s Kibera slum. Vava specially works with women workers as its mainstay based on research studies that have shown greater impact of job creation for women on the women and their families alike. Like Solar Sister, Vava is working hard to create a new reality of Africa - one painted by power of women’s enterprise and not by legacy of old boys clubs and aid.

Great. So why is Wawa battling bankers? Putting money where the mouth is and never saying never!

The article went of to explain that Vava started her business with $45,000 personal savings and has sold over 5000 packs of her distinctly packaged brand - each bag comes with potted life story of the farmer who grew it, hence the company slogan “every bean a story”. Vava Coffee has also won BBC’s competition for top business start-ups. So much promise of growth. Sales are rising. Yet Vava is struggling because for all the talk of venture funding, when the push comes to shove ” banks only want to help you when you are on your feet and running” . What about those baby steps that a sapling that has grown from a living seed ( a real business - not a figment of someone’s imagination) needs to grow into a flourishing plant or a small business?

Start-ups need support ( $$ and business support) to grow anywhere in the world. In a world full of talk of impact investing, this is all the more true of triple bottom line start ups like Vava Coffee working in emerging economies. Many banks in Kenya advertise their commitment to small businesses but Vava notes that when she went looking for a loan to expand her growing business, one bank told her to come back after two years when production line is in progress - a catch 22 for how will she set the production line without the money to begin with! If you do get a loan, you are expected to pay interest rates as high as 24-25% which can put entire balance sheet for a nascent business in a disarray.

If a strong and smart woman like Vava is struggling, think of women across rural Africa - without formal education or a black belt or any such accolades under their belts! Women’s financial inclusion can play a key role in development at all levels - whether it is the very first step to a green collar business through micro-consignment like Solar Sister’s model ( read my recent blog piece for CGAP blog ) or through much acclaimed micro-finance related work of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh or through support for small businesses like Vava Coffee for stepping up the ladder of growth.

Building a clean, green and an all inclusive future means nurturing hundreds of more flourising Vava coffee businesses and thousands of Solar Sister entrepreneurs across Africa. Vava say , ” I have fought everyone and everything to bring my business up and running. I am not giving up now. ” NOT GIVING UP - this is what we are committed to do despite the odds. And we shall overcome. For the universe does bring our perspirations and inspirations together if we are listening closely ( it helps flipping through in flight magazines!)

So here’s a wish, a promise, a commitment to making change happen - in this case - the Solar Sister way - as I return to the Pearl of Africa.

Goddesses with Broken Bones

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 09:53:00 -0400

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 we ride on these wild tides
for sometimes the bones are broken
to keep the boat afloat
this old breeze feels young though
and we smile on.

We who paint our lips red to live grey lives in technicolor
We who start where the film credits end
We who hum the song many moons from that night at concert hall
We who beat on after the last beat is beaten : on and on and on
We who talk of tomorrow’s weather walking on historic stones
We, the Goddesses with broken bones

- Neha

Solar Sister: Building a starfish social enterprise

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:45:00 -0400

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) in our mission to solve energy poverty through a market based, gender inclusive, grassroots approach.

Quite a mouthful isn’t it? Yes, it is for change is mouthful.

Change is complex. Change is about creating a new future while incorporating lessons from our past. Change is about society and about individuals who make that society. Change is about a value system. Change is about creating new rules. Change is about unlearning as much it is about learning new things. So where do we start if we want to address a complex transnational issue like global energy poverty and climate change? How do we create the network effect across complex networks spanning digital and international boundaries of the 21st century? The question is important for any organization committed to making a lasting impact on the shared future of our planet and Solar Sister is most definitely one such organization.

Change Cloud : Plexus 2012

The search for answers took me to one of the most thought provoking, challenging and fun conference I have ever been to : Plexus 2012: Patterns, Processes and Possibilities. In Life sciences/Anatomy Plexus is defined as any complex network of nerves, blood vessels, or lymphatic vessels or an intricate network or arrangement[ from Latin plectere to braid or plait]. The Plexus Institute is one such diverse social network of scientists, business executives, artists, teachers, journalists, researchers, physicians, nurses, college students, community leaders, and thinkers intrigued by and unraveling the science of complexity to create a better world. To me, the central question of Plexus 2012 was how do we create a social enterprise that keeps pace with change? What works and what does not? What does complexity theory teach us?

One of the best answers I found during the conference came from Ori Brafman, the coauthor of The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations. Brafman is a life-long entrepreneur whose projects include a wireless start up, a health food advocacy group, and a network of CEOs working on public benefit initiatives. After five years of research and work with a wide variety of public and private sector clients, Ori came to the conclusion that organizations are like spiders or starfish. Traditional organizations, like spiders ( think Encyclopedia Britannica), have a rigid top down heavy handed hierarchy, and new evolutionary organizations, like starfish ( think Wikipedia), rely on the power of peer relationships instead of an iron hand. If the head of a spider is cut off, the spider dies. If a starfish’s leg is cut off, the starfish grows a new leg, and the amputated leg grows a new starfish.

Solar Sister has the advantage of being a young and agile laterally networked organization rooted in our effort to be a starfish rather than a spider. At the heart of our network approach is women’s social capital - starfish like peer to peer networks to improve energy access in village after village in Africa and beyond. Trust is paramount in this network as is respect for individual voices. As a social enterprise, the challenge is as the starfish grows in size at scale to have a meaningful impact the issue at hand, ensuring :

a) Translating the values at scale: all nodes of the multi-layered starfish network work share the same value system that the baby starfish did. To achieve this, training of our staff, team leaders and Solar Sister entrepreneurs ( who are independent saleswomen working on commission)

b) The “Unleader” leader? the simplicity of relatively flat organization comes from complex systems running smoothly. Often this is not an absolute lack of leader as such but leaders who are catalysts and who believe in autonomy and not control, leaders who can inspire all the moving parts of the organization to work towards the common goal driven not just by extrinsic motivation ( of financial reward for example) but tapping on people’s intrinsic motivations and need for meaning ( spreading light, hope and opportunity for example).

c) Listening : a starfish organization is not a monologue, it is a constant dialogue. Listen to your team, partners and customers. Don’t talk at them, talk to them and hear as much if not less!

Much to ponder about for this starfish. What about you?

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

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:18:00 -0500

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 mother of two who does a double shift at work and home to make sure all the wheels of family keep moving smoothly, of an old woman who might not be able to see as clearly now though she has seen much in life, of women in places high, low and everything in between, of women in their multitude of avatars ( forms ) of first human beings striving for fulfillment and their roles as daughters, mothers, sisters, wives that they walk into.

At Solar Sister, this day is also about night and light. How? Night - as we think about millions of women around the world whose lives are engulfed by darkness as the sun sets in. More than 70% of 1.6 billion people on planet without access to modern electricity in as much a single light bulb. Women for whom darkness is both literal and figurative as life comes to a standstill as the sky above becomes dark. Women for whom night means smoke of kerosene and firewood. Women for whom night is not storytelling time for their kids but fear that a makeshift kerosene lamp could injure their child. Women whom life life in anonymity. Women who are still waiting for light.

And there IS light. For Solar Sister exists because this International Women’s day is also about light, hope and opportunity that our vision stands for. It is about women becoming torchbearers of a grassroots green economy - bringing cutting edge affordable and durable portable solar lights that they - yes, they too can afford and sell to their communities. This day is about Solar Sister Zuura who has been able to pay her nursing degree fees with commissions from her Solar Sister business in a bag, it is about Solar Sister Rev.Janet Akurut, one of our most energizing advocates, it is about Solar Sister’s customer Mama Norah, a diabetic patient who now feels safer with her solar charged cell phone in case there be an emergency, it is about Evelyn Namara, Solar Sister’s smart and sassy Program Coordinator in Uganda who inspires us every day with her commitment and energy, it is about every single man and woman who helps us dream a brighter world. And last but not the least, to me this International Women’s Day is also about my very dear friend and mentor Katherine Lucey, Founder and CEO of Solar Sister who started this beautiful chain of light and who reinforces my firm belief that to be someone’s light, however small, is a life well lived.

So this is dedicated to the entire Solar Sister family and all the other countless women who make our world brighter through every day and night. A very happy International Women’s Day from this Solar Sister!

To be a light

Be someone’s light
When the night is long

When the woods are lovely -

but dark and deep

When a child wants to sleep

to a colorful bedtime story

Be someone’s light

For to be someone’s light

However small, will be a life well lived

A tiny light, even a flickr

A sunshine, even a solar torch

A warm glow on a

cold winter night

A ray of hope at the

end of a long summer day

A pat on the back

A sunshine smile

Be someone’s light

*

Neha

Meet Solar Sister Margaret Akelo as she shares her journey to...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:29:00 -0500

Meet Solar Sister Margaret Akelo as she shares her journey to become a Solar Sister Entrepreneur. Margaret attended Solar Sister’s induction program and training at Kumi Hotel in Eastern Uganda which was led by Katherine Lucey, Founder and CEO of Solar Sister. After a trial period where she got to use her initial training to sell samples of portable solar products, Margaret came back from another round of training which included the “business in a bag kit”. During this session, she also had her official picture taken by Solar Sister’s Regional Program Coordinator.

Margaret says that the good thing about Solar Sister from her perspective is that it has helped her save money that she otherwise had to spend on paraffin and candles. At the same time, her children have light to read. Margaret says Solar Sister is helping bring a big change in her life - both as a user and seller of portable solar solutions. In doing so, she is using two-in-one woman power to be a vital part of the grassroots green economy that Solar Sister is building across Africa, one Solar Sister at a time.

Messaging the Message of Light : Lesson # 2 - Light and Happiness

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 21:06:00 -0500

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 ” What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say “Light”!”.The first and oft repeated answer in the class of about 20 was simple: happiness, joy, love. Isn’t that so simple and profound at the same time?

For why do we want the soft glow of light in our lives after all ? Ever heard of “Winter Blues” or “Seasonal Affective Disorder - SAD”? ( wherein people become sad in winter time - one reason being lack of light?) In this talk at a 2008 Scientific Conference of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms, Dr. Raymond Lam of University of British Columbia talks about this condition and light therapy.The point is, though not everybody is affected by the winter blues, light in itself does have an uplifting effect on our lives and the perceived sense of well being ( as against being left in the dark).

My interest in the topic relates to the lack of basic light for 1.6 billion energy poor in the world and the communication lessons therein for manufacturers and distributers of clean lighting technologies. I was able to dig out this copy of Edison Mazda Lamps which summarizes the message of light and happiness very well. I hope all us working on improving energy access in different parts of the world can remember this while conveying why light matters.

Learning from Vintage: Light is Happiness

ABOUT: The advertisement you see above is from the early days of Edison Mazda lamps.

WHAT DOES THE COPY READ? Let your home typify the Christmas spirit. Light it cheerfully with Edison Mazda Lamps. And when the children gather around the tree, use Edison Mazda Photoflash lamps to take their pictures. What memories for future years! Anyone can take flashlight pictures by using Edison Mazda Photoflash Lamps. A fixture using the new Mazda Sunlight Lamps will bring the benefits of ultraviolet radiation into your home at small cost. Children need this Vitamin D building radiation, which helps promote the growth of strong bones and teeth. Look for the name Edison on the Carton and MAZDA mark on the bulb.

WHY DOES THE VISUAL MAKE AN IMPACT? Because its aspirational - a positive message of Christmas memories that everyday people can relate to. Not only that, the copy talks about the connection with ultraviolet radiation and Vitamin D..some marketing there!

COMMUNICATION LESSONS FOR ENERGY ACCESS PRACTITIONERS:

1) ( Yet again!) Make an Emotional Appeal: At the heart of our quest to address energy poverty is not the message of lack but that of abundance - that of light and everybody’s hope of happiness for themselves and their loved ones.

2) Mark of quality: The advertisement tells the customer to look for the logo and seal of quality of Edison Mazda Lamps. This message is vital for communication for those selling quality solar products for the masses given that market spoilage by inferior quality and cheaply priced competition can be a market barrier.

Not all lights are manufactured equal - quality matters. Simply making a great quality product is not enough if the customers don’t know lemons ( or bad quality products) from cherries ( or good quality products). Therefore, reinforce your seal of quality across your product line ( both in packaging and verbal marketing)

3) Reinforce the Health message: Good light is about happiness is about good health..bingo!

Peace Classroom: The Poetry of Solar Sister

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:16:41 -0500

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…

Solar Sister: Spreading light, hope and opportunity in Africa

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:04:00 -0500

Solar Sister: Spreading light, hope and opportunity in Africa:

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 poverty, injustice, human trafficking, racism, slavery and other justice issues.
people of every location, race, color, belief system and experience can be part of the change by giving of their time, energy and talents as they are able. We are all pieces and all have a part to play.
people empowered with knowledge and introduced to another story will make decisions to help those in need whenever possible and we believe that we can be that voice by publishing the stories and photographs that unite.

Read the Solar Sister article and many other powerful stories of change from around the world here.

Messaging the message of light : Lesson # 1 - Back to the Basics

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:38:00 -0500

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 the UN has announced 2012 as the International Sustainable Energy for All Year. How best can we convey why light is a critical life support system for development?

I could tell you ( as I do time and again) that there are 1.6 billion people in the world without any access to electricity. But does that number in itself tell you that “that” is one quarter of humanity or that “that” is twice the population of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia ( and then some!); that 70% of this gigantic number has a female face. I could also tell you how many people die every year due to respiratory diseases caused by indoor air pollution due to the use of kerosene lanterns and candles but will you be moved enough to take an action in your big or small way?

These questions ( and my association with advertising once upon a time) resurfaced in my mind at last week’s meeting at the United Nations Foundation in Washington, D.C. which brought together the members of various working groups of the Energy Access Practitioner Network. Network members are working together to catalyze the scale-up of renewable and low-carbon technologies and spur the market toward universal energy access by 2030. During the last leg of the day, after presentations by different working groups ( on supply chains, health, standards, finance & Investment, mapping, energy & agriculture), we had a very interesting session on communication aspect of universal energy access. In the lively focussed group discussion, we spoke about the choice of words and visuals to convey the seriousness of energy poverty so as to strike a cord with the target audiences that includes partners, donors and beneficiaries. Some people in the group liked the word “empower”, while others found it too patronizing. Some liked the word “powering”, while others made the association between power and “power corrupts”, some liked prosperity, while some preferred progress. Some wanted to hear an emotional appeal instead of a plain logical one. I liked the visual adverts which showed the contrast of light and dark in form of an African woman in a dark room trying to read with a solar light, a night time vendor in India selling his well lit wares at night, a young mother and a child looking at the only light in their room - a solar lamp. A picture speaks a thousand words and just looking at these pictures, I was moved. Finally, though there was no one clear winning final message or one picture at this stage, we surely had great insights using which the Energy Practitioner Network will come up with some great messaging I am sure.

What this discussion made me think of is what can those proverbially burning to midnight out ( rather apt in this reference) to improve energy access say to move you? By you I mean:

1) Firstly, you - an every day person in well lit cities around the world to be a part of our movement to bring light to those don’t know the wonders of electric light and

2) Secondly, you - a woman or a man in a village, who has spent her/his whole life using kerosene and candes for light, and who don’t know that affordable alternatives exist which can be bought from Solar Sister in East Africa or from our friend EarthSpark International in Haiti or Power Mundo in Peru or Elephant Energy in Namibia or from the multitude of other innovative clean energy access champions from around the world.

To answer this messaging question, let’s start from the start. What is at the heart of energy poverty? “Darkness”, I’d say. Einstein ( albeit allegedly) said that “darkness is but the absence of light”. So at the heart of energy poverty is light. This is one basic thing that I think everybody working to improve energy access around the globe must remember.

So going back to basics, is there anything in the history of light that can teach us how to message the message of light? Looking for answers, I went back to dig out vintage advertisements for light bulbs going back to the time when Thomas Edison got the patent for a modern light bulb, which started the commercialization of the electric lighting industry unlike ever before in the history of humanity. In this “energy access messaging” blog series, I bring out some of the vintage lighting advertisements in the hope that we can remember what we have forgotten - what light meant to our earlier generations who were just being introduced to the magic of electric light. And from this, learning how best we can frame the messages of light to those living with energy poverty around the world.

Learning from Vintage : Modern Light means ” No more danger of fires”

ABOUT The advertisement you see above, from November, 1900 edition of Scientific American, is a very early example of promotional material for electric Christmas lighting at a time when electricity was still considered by many to be only a novelty, not unlike today’s energy poor.

WHAT DOES THE COPY READ ? No danger from the lights on Christmas trees when Edison Miniature Lamps are used. No Smoke. Smell or Grease. Lamps’s can be bought or rented at a low cost. Anyone can readily write and put up the lamps if there is electric current in the house. Our leaflet on Christmas lighting tells all about it.

WHY DOES THE VISUAL MAKE AN IMPACT? On the left side, you see a happy Christmas tree. On the right side, you see a house engulfed by fire due to use of candles in Christmas trees. Not a pretty picture there but sadly, this is still a reality for those dependent on kerosene and candles.

COMMUNICATION LESSONS FOR ENERGY ACCESS PRACTITIONERS

1) Make an Emotional Appeal: People care of their own and their children’s well being. Kerosene lanterns / candles are not safe. Connect the dots! Solar Sister connects these dots through its message of light. hope. opportunity

2) Affordability is an important message - Notice that the ad mentions renting the lamps as a way to increase affordability for those who might not have enough resources to make the purchase. Think about your own energy access project. Do you have rent to own or merry-go-round schemes or installment payment option to improve financial access for your products/services. At Solar Sister, we have the latter two at present and are exploring linkages with both banks and MFI’s to provide more end-user financing options.

3) Ease of use is an important message - Simplify. Simplify.Simplify when it comes to your products and procedures. Keep your message simple.

Part 2 of 2 : Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer,...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:26:00 -0500

Part 2 of 2 : Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer, Solar Sister speaks with Vincent Makori, Anchor for ”In Focus” - Voice of America’s daily news magazine.

Part 1 of 2 : Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer,...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:23:00 -0500

Part 1 of 2 : Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer, Solar Sister speaks with Vincent Makori, Anchor for “In Focus” - Voice of America’s daily news magazine.

Part 2 of 2 : Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer,...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:14:00 -0500

Part 2 of 2 : Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer, Solar Sister speaks with Voice of America

In the run up to the UN’s latest Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, I speak about Solar Sister’s mission with Voice of America’s program Upfront’s host Jackson Mvunganyi. Watch the interview to learn what’s the connection between women and clean energy? Why should you and I be concerned with energy poverty if we care about peace? Why we need enterprise not aid? Learn about Solar Sister’s grassroots, women driven, enterprise based approach to bring light, hope and opportunity to millions living without access to electricity.

Video Courtesy: Jackson Mvunganyi, Voice of America. Before the interview Jackson asked me “Can I be a Solar Brother?” and I said yes. And yes, you are a Solar Brother Jackson! Because women’s rights are not just for the women to talk about. We need men like you to help us spread this message and be our partner in light, hope and opportunity.

Read Jackson’s wonderful blog Upfront Africa to follow all things Africa.

Want to learn more about Solar Sister? Write to me at neha.misra@gmail.com

Part 1 of 2 : Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer,...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:05:00 -0500

Part 1 of 2 : Neha Misra, Chief Collaboration Officer, Solar Sister speaks with Voice of America

In the run up to the UN’s latest Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa - I speak about Solar Sister’s mission with Voice of America’s program Upfront’s host Jackson Mvunganyi. Watch the interview to learn what’s the connection between women and clean energy? Why should you and I be concerned with energy poverty if we care about peace? Why we need enterprise not aid? Learn about Solar Sister’s grassroots, women driven, enterprise based approach to bring light, hope and opportunity to millions living without access to electricity.

Video Courtesy: Jackson Mvunganyi, Voice of America. Before the interview Jackson asked me ” Can I be a Solar Brother?” and I said yes. And yes, you are a Solar Brother Jackson! Because women’s rights are not just for the women to talk about. We need men like you to help us spread this message and be our partner in light, hope and opportunity.

Read Jackson’s wonderful blog Upfront Africa to follow all things Africa.

Want to learn more about Solar Sister? Write to me at neha.misra@gmail.com