Solar Power Solution for Kokobe Primary School

Happily, we've found an alternative solution to the problem of getting electricity at Kokobe Primary School that both fits our budget and meets the charging needs of the laptops.

Thanks to information and a referral from Richard Smith of OLPC, we have ordered 50 portable solar panels from GoldPeak Industries International in Hong Kong.  The panels are specifically designed to work with the older XO-1 laptops that we use in Lesotho.  Each panel charges one laptop.  They are 15V 14W with an 18V limiter, are flexible and tough, and cost just $35 each!!!

GPI has promised to manufacture and ship them to Lesotho no later than December 24th.  We'll have to pay air freight charges to get them in time for our January deployment, but given the extremely low cost of the panels themselves, we can cover the extra shipping charges.  GPI is working with DHL in Hong Kong, and I am working with DHL in Lesotho to make the shipping arrangements, so hopefully everything will go smoothly.

Once in Kokobe, the panels will be placed on the ground outside the classrooms and wires run into the classrooms to run and charge the laptops.  The only other country to use this system in Papua-New Guinea.  Here's a picture from their website showing the panels in use:

One huge advantage of using this system is that the solar panels are portable and can be taken home with a laptop, so children can use them on their own after school and on weekends.

PNG uses special wires called DC Shares that allow them to connect 4 panels via one wire to 4 laptops inside.  This helps control the tangle of wires.  Unfortunately, the DC Shares are not available unless ordered in very large quantities.  So, we are looking for ways to jerry-rig a similar system.  Unfortunately, the XO laptop and panels use a plug & jack that are non-standard and not available to us.  So, we will have to find a different solution.

A big BIG thank you to all of you who have helped me work through this last-minute problem, including Richard Smith, David Leeming, Bruce Baikie, Alex Kreider Chris Leonard, Tony Anderson, and George Hunt for their technical advice and knowledge of sources of equipment, Dyann Van Dusen and Richard Rowan of Friends of Lesotho and our anonymous donor for their flexibility in funding our solar power needs, Jennifer Lynden and Carrol of iLoveMyXO.com for their patience and assistance, our Project Leader Matlabe Teba for handling negotiations and arrangements in Lesotho, Richard Yu and Miu Ip of GPI International for arranging the rush production, and our Directors Sarah Gardner and Sherrie Howey for their guidance in resolving this issue. 

This was truly a team effort and yet another wonderful example of the power of the internet in empowering people all over the world to work together.

- Janissa


 

Funding for Solar Power from FOL

I am happy to announce that Friends of Lesotho has generously pledged $3386 to L2L this year! This money has been provided to help establish a solar power system at Kokobe. We will be able to buy four 80 watt PV panels, two 260 Ah batteries, a 20 A regulator 24 volt, and a 1200 watt 24 Volt Victron Inverter. This leaves only $2000 needed for the rest of the system (wiring, distribution board, grounding, and installation). A big thank you to Friends of Lesotho for this generous pledge of support.

Article in Friends of Lesotho Annual Report

The Friends of Lesotho 2011 Annual Report includes an article about Laptops to Lesotho on page 10.  Here's what it says:

"LAPTOPS 2 LESOTHO (L2L)

"Laptops to Lesotho President Janissa Balcomb returned to Lesotho last November to begin expanding the project to a second primary school, as well as to provide additional teacher training at the project's first school, Nohana Primary. To her surprise and great joy when she arrived, L2L Project Leader Matlabe Teba had already begun the expansion process. It was something they had discussed, but he took the initiative and got the process rolling all on his own.

"In addition to selecting the school, Kokobe Primary School, and making preparations, Matlabe and three Nohana teachers wrote a successful grant proposal to acquire about 50 XO laptops for Kokobe. Janissa's only role was ceremonial, officially handing over the first two XO laptops and two solar chargers to Kokobe Principal Alice Ranthimo at a community celebration. Matlabe and Nohana teachers will continue mentoring and training the staff at Kokobe, helping them build their own computer program, as L2L did at Nohana Primary School.

"In 2011, Friends of Lesotho donated $1,190 to L2L for classroom wiring, fuel for the generator, and a digital projector for Nohana Primary School. The projector is used to show the teacher's computer screen so slower students can follow the lesson more easily.

"If you would like to help, L2L needs donations for funds to install a solar-powered electrical system at Kokobe and to pay training expenses. You may make contributions to L2L through FOL on our website or you may also donate on-line at www.justgive.org or at www.razoo.org.

"FOL members and friends have been key to the success of this project. "

You can read the entire FOL Annual Report at http://www.friendsoflesotho.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/FOL-Annual-Report-2011.pdf.

- Janissa

Text of Janissa's talk has been posted

Read the text of Janissa's talk at the Annual Meeting of Friends of Lesotho on 12 March 2011:  Text of FOL talk

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Additional Funding from Friends of Lesotho - Another Step Closer

The Friends of Lesotho Donation Committee has approved an additional request for $700 to fund a gas generator.  They will pass this request on to the full board, and we should know fairly soon if the FOL Board approves the request.

I submitted the request to FOL because I have been having trouble getting donations for solar power, and we desperately need some sort of power to run all the computers.  I had hoped to use a gas generator as our back-up power source, but until we get additional funding for solar panels, it will have to be our primary power supply.

FOL has already donated $1436 for internet hardware and service and security supplies.

- Janissa

L2L Partners with BLOOM Africa

BLOOM Africa has agreed to raise $3500 (about M25,000) for Laptops to Lesotho!!!

This is great news! The money will pay for 10 XO laptops, one solar panel and storage battery, and shipping to get the laptops to Ketane. There is no guarantee when they will raise the money, but they've got several fundraising events planned for in the next few months, so hopefully we'll see some of the money soon.

You can see more about BLOOM Africa on their website, BLOOMAfrica.org. Their mission is to help Orphans and Vulnerable Children, so one stipulation of their support is that we must work on HIV/AIDS prevention using the laptops. I've officially added several tasks to our work in Ketane so that we can meet that objective, though most of these goals were already on the drawing board.

Things are really starting to come together for us. We have now received or been promised:

• $3500 for laptops, power, and shipping from BLOOM Africa,
  
• $1436 from Friends of Lesotho for network hardware, internet service for 1 year, construction materials, and office supplies,
  
• $1500 from FIPE for laptops, plus all expenses for a Mosotho team member to travel to Colorado, USA, for a professional exchange,
  
• $2550 from public donations,
  
• donated labor and services from the Ketane community,
  
• donated software from TechSoup.org, and
  
• donated grant research subscription from Grant Station.

There is a lot of work still to be done to make this dream come true. I will be writing more on that soon. But for now, LET'S CELEBRATE!

- Janissa

Friends of Lesotho Funding Update

Friends of Lesotho (FOL) has agreed to give us $1436 for network and internet hardware, one year of internet service for the school, and miscellaneous construction and office supplies. We're still waiting for their official Letter of Agreement, but their promise to provide funding, especially for network and internet service, brings us another step closer to our goal.

Please let Friends of Lesotho know you appreciate their support of our project.
Click here to Thank FOL.

Thank You FOL!

- Janissa

Status of FOL Funding Request

On May 8th, the Friends of Lesotho Donations Committee said they would be reviewing our funding application sometime this week. If approved by the Committee, it will go to the FOL Board for review at their next meeting, which should be the third Sunday of this month.

- Janissa

Disappointment - No Shipping by Peace Corps via Diplomatic Pouch

I got some disappointing news today from Deepak. The law prohibits the use of the diplomatic pouch to import goods into Lesotho, so we won't be able to get the computers over to Lesotho that way.

We'll have to go back to Plan B and ship them via USPS or DHL, which means I have to find funding for that too.

Another option for getting a few of the laptops to Maseru would be to ask people who are traveling over to carry one or two with them on the plane. We might be able to find PC trainees in the June 2010 CHED group, PC/L staff, and/or Friends of Lesotho associates who are willing and able to help.

We'll get them there one way or another.

- Janissa

Grant writing - next steps & anybody want to help?

Now that I've got the grant application for FOL under my belt, hopefully I'll be able to crank other grant applications out a little (lot) quicker. Next in my sights is Oprah's Angel Network. I've got the application requirements, so now I just need to get writing.

I have a list of a dozen or so other places to submit grant applications. The next step is to get the application requirements for each of those. Then, more research on other organizations and foundations to approach for money.

Anybody want to help with this?

- Janissa

Fundraising: Friends of Lesotho funding application submitted

Today, I submitted an application for funding from Friends of Lesotho. Several of the FOL board members have expressed support for our project, so let's hope that support will translate into real money.

The FOL Donation Committee should meet tomorrow. If they like the application, they will recommend it to the full board, which meets next month.

- Janissa

Packages are in the mail

I finally got the prizes for the winners of the naming and logo contests in the mail, along with some extra school supplies, calendars, and additional gifts for future contests, plus cash for Mapesh to pay for internet access.

The postage cost twice as much as the stuff inside the two packages! You used to be able to send stuff to Lesotho via surface mail. Not anymore! Postage is outrageous. I will have to be more careful about sending stuff and looking for people from FOL or PC going over there to carry any packages I send.

-- Janissa

Flurry of Activity before Andrew Leaves

There's been a flurry of emails going around as we all prepare for Andrew's departure from Ketane. There's also been progress on several fronts.

The highlights:
* The US embassy is donating desktop computers to some PCV schools. We'll try to get one or more. Maybe we'll be able to use them as a network server???
* Sarah and Amy are going to contact Lineo to learn more about her and her qualifications.
* Janissa made preliminary contact with a Friends of Lesotho officer about possible funding and got a very positive response.
* The papers necessary for incorporating Laptops to Lesotho have been compiled and Janissa will put them in the mail Friday to the Idaho Secretary of State.
* L2L is still looking for a fourth board member, someone to take over the treasurer duties from Janissa.
* Sarah is designing the website for Laptops to Lesotho.
* Janissa bought prizes for the winners of the naming and logo contest -- book bag and a journal with colored pens, book bag and construction paper with a few art supplies. She will be mailing those to Mapesh on Friday. She also bought a few extra items to use for future contest prizes ... warm gloves, spiral notebooks, colorful pencils, fancy erasers, and pencil sharpeners.
*Ketane school holiday is coming up, but Mapesh will have a laptop during the break so he can stay in touch.
* Andrew will be leaving Lesotho on 3 December but will continue to work on the project, just from a distance.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and Janissa's birthday. Enjoy the day, things are going well!