The past month has been wild and busy, but after many sleepless nights and the launch of www.solarfireproject.com the SFP is now official. I am now confident that I can head to Mali and the project will have a stable platform from which to operate. "Leave to Mali??" you say?
Yes. After a long, convoluted and awesome series of events and adventures, I came into contact with a French NGO called SOS Enfants d'Afrique who plan to convoy their way to Mali to bring medicine, books, hospital beds and solar box cookers to Bamako, Mali. When I presented them with Solar Fire they were impressed and invited me to join them.
What could I say? For years I've been dreaming of going to Africa with my grandfather's invention to see what kind of impact it might have in areas suffering from dirty water, deforestation and energy scarcity. The reason I resisted is I have no experience, contacts or logistical capacities there. The people I've met who are taking part in this mission have all changed that.
When we get to Mali there will be NGOs, local organizations and government officials waiting for us. I'll present the case for Solar Fire with the hopes of initiating a shift to solar energy. In Mali, where fuelwood as a percentage of energy consumption is over 90%, and desertification is running wild, I think we'll have a warm reception.
I also think it's going to be a hell of a ride. I've created this blog to give the SFP a human element, and keep the situation reports current. The sitreps might be few and far between, but they should be intense.
Planned departure is 27Nov 07, but there is a lot of work to do before then. Stay tuned for a post introducing my fellow travelers.
peace love hope
1 comment:
Good for you!! Good luck. I'll try and follow your progress!
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