A STRUGGLE for basic services at a sprawling farming community about 35km outside East London that has gone on for decades has been mitigated thanks to the intervention of a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Over the past year, the NGO, Project 90x2030, has installed free rainwater catchment tanks, solar panels and rocket stoves for more than 250 households in Msobomvu village near Alton, on the N6 towards Macleantown.
Power from the solar panels is used for low-energy appliances such as charging cellphone batteries and for household lights.
The tanks have saved the residents from potential health hazards after they previously shared water with animals.
The rocket stove is made of light metal sheets and bricks for insulation. A few pieces of wood are enough to bring food to the boil, which is then transferred to polystyrene-filled “wonderbags” for cooking.
The company is among the nominated finalists in this year’s Eskom eta (efficiency) awards which recognise innovations in the energy sector.
Gray Maguire said the initiative had been conceived to mitigate and address the impact of climate change. He stressed that their intervention was not aimed at embarrassing the government but intended to alleviate the community’s plight.
Maguire said they asked residents what their needs were before their intervention. The initiative had cost the overseas-funded organisation more than R1.5-million.
“We believe there is no community development without the community and no community without development. Some communities don’t know how to access government services,” he said.
Project 90x2030 has trained three villagers to fix the rocket stove and solar panels to make them self-sustainable.
Save for six litres of water which are delivered to each family by a Buffalo City Metro truck and the grading of an access road, the isolated community has not seen any services. In 2009, angry villagers barricaded the N6 to demand a school, clinic, potable water and electricity.
Now residents have given the NGO the thumbs-up.
Khabindlala Lokoto, 70, said Project 90x2030 was “number one”.
“They took us out of the bush. Now we feel like other human beings,” he said.
Makonwatywe Sanele, who has lived in the area for more than 10 years, said uncertainty about whether Amathole District Municipality or BCM owned the land had compromised service roll-out. — loyisom@dispatch.co.za
Eco-friendly services for local community
Over the past year, the NGO, Project 90x2030, has installed free rainwater catchment tanks, solar panels and rocket stoves for more than 250 households in Msobomvu village near Alton, on the N6 towards Macleantown.
Power from the solar panels is used for low-energy appliances such as charging cellphone batteries and for household lights.
The tanks have saved the residents from potential health hazards after they previously shared water with animals.
The rocket stove is made of light metal sheets and bricks for insulation. A few pieces of wood are enough to bring food to the boil, which is then transferred to polystyrene-filled “wonderbags” for cooking.
The company is among the nominated finalists in this year’s Eskom eta (efficiency) awards which recognise innovations in the energy sector.
Gray Maguire said the initiative had been conceived to mitigate and address the impact of climate change. He stressed that their intervention was not aimed at embarrassing the government but intended to alleviate the community’s plight.
Maguire said they asked residents what their needs were before their intervention. The initiative had cost the overseas-funded organisation more than R1.5-million.
“We believe there is no community development without the community and no community without development. Some communities don’t know how to access government services,” he said.
Project 90x2030 has trained three villagers to fix the rocket stove and solar panels to make them self-sustainable.
Save for six litres of water which are delivered to each family by a Buffalo City Metro truck and the grading of an access road, the isolated community has not seen any services. In 2009, angry villagers barricaded the N6 to demand a school, clinic, potable water and electricity.
Now residents have given the NGO the thumbs-up.
Khabindlala Lokoto, 70, said Project 90x2030 was “number one”.
“They took us out of the bush. Now we feel like other human beings,” he said.
Makonwatywe Sanele, who has lived in the area for more than 10 years, said uncertainty about whether Amathole District Municipality or BCM owned the land had compromised service roll-out. — loyisom@dispatch.co.za
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