Solar lights up young couple's SME dreams

Jacob Davana and Benedine Kone were a young couple among the 1080 households from Okansira Ward in Ioro Number 1 Community Government of Eivo – Torau Constituency in Central Bougainville to receive a solar kit.

This was made possible through the Community Government Institutional Strengthening Program (CGISP), a program funded by the Australian Government, delivered in partnership with the Department of Community Government and implemented by World Vision with the goal of CGISP to promote effective Community Governments (CG) in Bougainville by delivering tangible development projects in a democratic, inclusive, and transparent manner to demonstrate the effectiveness of local government and women’s leadership.

Through the CGISP project, Community Governments are encouraged to take ownership of the project and tasked with making a selection of which households in their community are to receive a solar kit based on their own criteria. The Community Governments then engaged in community consultations through the respective Ward Members and community representatives to explain the validation of their selection to the community. Once the community have agreed, a selection list is presented to World Vision to distribute the solar kits according to the selected households. In this manner, there is equitable and fair distribution and transparency through the entre process because of the ongoing consultative process. 

“Before the solar kit was given to us, we really were facing a challenge keeping our trade store afloat and wondering whether it was worth the time and money investment. We are grateful to everyone and to God that we don’t have to worry about that now,” says Jacob from behind the counter of his lighted trade store as his partner Benedine looks on. 

Their small to medium enterprise (SME) business of reselling store goods has doubled its revenue with   an extension of their hours of operation and a diversification of business opportunities since the installation of the solar kit which is comprised of 3 light tubes, a solar recharging panel and a power meter box switch panel and 3 individual light switches connected to the lights to control the brightness of lights. 

Jacob confidently states, “Before we received the solar lights, we had to close our trade store when the sun went down. If we kept it open, we used candles or kerosene lamps which can be fire hazards if we are not careful. No one could see whether we were open or not so we hardly got any customers after hours. Now Benedine and I can take care of our household and then reopen the trade store at night again.”

Jacob’s partner Benedine supplements her partners statement, “the solar kit also allows us to charge mobile phones, and as we have placed an additional light outside our trade store, the number of customers coming to buy goods, socialize under the light, charge their mobiles is astounding. When they come, they usually end up buying something from our store so we are more than happy to welcome everybody.”

Okansira community is about an hours’ drive from Panguna mine. It’s nestled in amongst very lush green mountains, and the locals know exactly where they can get a clear signal to make mobile phone calls or check their social media accounts. The quaint community live in hamlets with households sparsely spread out. Okansira is one of 11 wards of the Ioro 1 community Government. 

The drive up is pitch black, until you stumble on Jacob and Benedine’s SME store which illuminates everything around it. The community live in hamlets and therefore, it’s another 10mins drive in more pitch blackness before we reach the next lighted home which belongs to Sharon Tanisi the local Chairlady for Ioro No.1 Community Government.

Notably, Jacob was astounded by the doubling of income and revenue from their extended hours of operation. Not only have the couple been able to extend their hours of operation, but they are also able to charge a small fee to neighbours who want to charge their mobile phones which is another functionality of the solar kit. 

Additionally, they use the light to sell market produce in a secondary hut adjacent to their SME trade store thus increasing their income generation. 

“We are very grateful to World Vision and the Australian Government for the project, and also our Chairlady Sharon and our Local Community Government for selecting us to be among the recipients of the solar kit. In the short time we have had it, it has given us more financial independence and cater for school fees, our immediate family needs and also meet other social obligations in our family and our community. It has helped to relive us of some financial burdens and increased our cash flow and family time as we can sit together in the evenings,” beams Benedine.

It is Jacob and Benedine’s hope that in the very near future, they will extend their trade store space and proportionally increase the variety and quantities of products they resell.