Micro-enterprise
Initiative |
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Project
entitled “Opportunity for women in Renewable Energy
Technology
(RET) Utilization in Bangladesh” has seen the first
impact of off-grid rural electrification service from
local Vwomen-owned co-operative. The project funded by
ESMAP commenced on September 1, 1999, in Char Montaz,
which is an island in the southern coast of Bangladesh.
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 In
particular, this project focuses on the role of rural
women in off-grid electrification service delivery
in Bangladesh, giving access to electricity with DC
lamps, which are battery operated, and typically used
with solar home systems. Today 33 women are engaged
in construction of DC lamps, which are being used
for lighting the small houses, the shops, the mosque
and the fishing boats. It is revealing to the people
that the women of their region can actually assemble
lamps for lighting their homes, something they desired
for all these years. The micro-enterprise having a
production capacity of 600 lamps per month, is now
actively pursuing market development for the lamps
in the target area, which constitutes several un-electrified
islands, covering nearly a population of 100,000 of
20 thousand households in 300 square km. The women’s
co-operative is selling 6, 8 or 10 Watt DC lamps at
$6.5 each to be used with small batteries of 20AH
or 50AH,sold for $20-50. Appliance of such small size
is found affordable to majority of the population,
and hence has wide impact on the overall poverty reduction
for the region.
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Area
uneconomical for conventional grid expansion and beyond
any electrification plan of the central electrification
board, has just seen the first lights in their households
from an alternative source. Children watch their mothers
come to the factory, while women take responsibility
and enjoy their new skill for empowerment – a
Micro-enterprise of their own. Along with household
responsibilities, within 3 months the women have developed
the capacity to construct lamps which are electronically
efficient and reliable in service, appliance that the
markets never offered to them before. They are learning
lamp construction with quality control, business development
and marketing, a new paradigm in life!
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Press
Release |
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Coastal
Electrification and Women’s Development Cooperative
(CEWDC) is a women's cooperative of Char Montaz in Golachipa
Thana of Patuakhali District. It was established in September
1999 with 35 women under the project project “Opportunity
for Women in Renewable Energy Technology Utilization in
Bangladesh (Phase I)”. Technical assistance for
the project was provided by Prokaushali Sangsad Limited
(PSL) with financial assistance of ESMAP and executed
by the World Bank, Dhaka. The German Embassy in Bangladesh
has provided solar home systems through their Small Grants
program. ICCO, an NGO from the Netherlands has co-financed
the project for facility construction, while UNDP has
recently provided support for the solar battery charging
station through SRE of LGED. Since
its establishment the co-operative has been providing
energy services to the un-electrified rural areas of
Char Montaz and four neighbouring islands. The coop
manufactures high quality DC lamps and charge controllers
suitable for solar home systems. Other services include
battery charging, selling, installing and maintaining
SHSs, selling electrical goods and market electrification.
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Most
recent developments of the co-operative include: |
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Formal inauguration of the newly completed facility
of the co-operative was held on February 16, 2004.
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This facility
provides space for electronics manufacturing factory,
training room, library, offices, communication centre
and solar battery charging station. |
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• A 1.8 kW solar module system
has been installed on the roof of the new premise of the
co-operative. This system serves (a) complete lighting
of the new building, (b) operation of the solar battery
charging station where 16 batteries can be simultaneously
charged with a modern charging system. |
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(c) solar operated computer and communication
system is being set. The members of the co-operative are
taking computer training for all their accounts and operations.
This system will also allow internet connection to the
island and computer training to the local high school
teachers and students. |
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• The co-operative is now assembling
charge controllers with kits of German origin. Today 350
households are using these controllers in Bangladesh.
The co-operative has already begun its supply of lamps
and controllers to the World Bank financed national solar
electrification project. |
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• Solar electrification program
has begun in 2003 offering micro-credit for purchase of
small solar home systems by the rural households. Currently
100 households in the remote islands are enjoying the
services from the co-operative. |
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• Most recently CEWDC has become
a Supplier Partner Organization to IDCOL. This will require
the co-operative to follow the technical specifications
for hardware of the national program, and allow the co-operative
to enjoy some of the benefits of IDCOL POs. It is anticipated
that more households can be served with such privileges. |
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• Two branches of the co-operative
will be established under the Sustainable Energy Program
(SEP) of the Shell Foundation. These two micro-enterprises
will be engaged in sales and maintenance of solar home
systems and operation of Diesel platform on a commercial
basis. |
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