Sometimes a smile is all you need to see to know you’re a part of something great. And by that measure, we’re doing something really special because there were endless smiles during our most recent trip to Nicaragua. Whether it was the schools we visited, the new homes we installed solar on, or when we visited the existing solar installations for families we’ve met during prior visits, there was no end of appreciation from the families whose lives have been changed for the better.
Our trip in February of this year consisted of further solar installations to existing communities as well as a few new ones. It's amazing how far our team has progressed, where an installation used to take 2 -3 hours to complete, now they can get one done in 30-45 minutes. This means more families get access to electricity. Our team was able to install seven solar systems in one day which includes all the travel time between sites, which involved circumventing mountains, crossing rivers, and navigating muddy roads. All worth it over the ten days of our trip!
We also had the opportunity to visit schools we’ve installed solar during past trips to see how they were using the systems and to check on any issues they’ve had. Fortunately, there were very few issues and all the systems were working great. The primary purpose for this visit was to continue expanding our Access to Education initiative which included delivering computers, projectors, audio systems and inverters that allow these schools to deliver a curriculum to their students that otherwise was not very accessible. We also provided training for teachers to build confidence in utilizing these tools with the goal of improving the learning experience and increased participation.
While the whole time worked very hard, we also had some time to have a little fun with the community.
As we packed up and said our goodbyes, we left knowing it wouldn’t be long before we’d be back to continue our efforts and see those smiles once again.
Comments