b'See Solar, Cook Solar, Musasa School, Uganda - delivering educational, environmental and social benefits to women, girls, and their communities. TheMusasaSchoolProject,locatedinThe solar panels would light the whole the Rwenzori Mountains, Western Uganda,school,with sufficient capability to charge began in January 2015 and was completedmobile phones and laptops. A sustainable inNovember2016withatotalspendofwatersupplysystemincludedwater 42,200empoweringanestimated1,394collection tanks, wash facilities, and bio-UGANDA - MUSASA women and girls - approximately 681 schoolsand filters, supplying water to the school children and 713 within the community. and to the wider community. Water tanks TheProjectfollowedanapplicationwere built onsite using local labour, and bySoroptimistInternational(SI)oftraining was provided.DunfermlinetoextendsolarlightingtoLaptops were supplied at an early stage theschool.SIDunfermlinewasalreadycontributingtoeducationalobjectives, providing solar lamps to the Musasa Schooland facilitating enhanced contact between andwithpositiveresults,andyetitwascoordinators and suppliers, enabling the clear to the club that more could be doneProject to be implemented in good time.toempowerandenablestudents,theirThe school recieved a Villager sun oven teachers, and their communties. andback-uprocketstovesinJuly,with Prior to the commencement of the Projectfulltrainingdelivered.Completingin the school had no power, relying on paraffinNovember 2016, the Musasa Project was lamps and wood for both light and cooking.hailed a huge success by staff, students, Areviewoftheschoolanditsfacilitiesandvillagers,contributingtoallSI showed that solar lighting, solar cooking,objectives, in the delivery of educational, computers, and a clean water system couldenvironmental,andsocialbenefitsto helptotransformtheday-to-daylivesofwomen, girls, and their communities. thecommunity,enhancingeducation,Benefits have included opportunities for deliveringopportunitiestobringthethe school to establish additional boarding community together, and empowering allfacilities, together with private rooms for with new ways to communicate effectively.guidanceandcounsellingsessions.The The Project would deliver theSee Solar,solar lighting, water supply, and solar ovens Cook Solar objectives, and address the localhave resulted in children now being able challanges faced by girls, and their families.to spend more time in school, eliminating Facilitating education, heightening safety,theneedtocollectwaterandfirewood, andimprovinghealthwhilstminimisingand importantly, removing the risks and detrimentaleffectsontheenvironment,dangersassociatedwiththis.Accessto and promoting sustainability. computers and the internet have opened The Project was implemented in stages,newdoorstoeducationalopportunities, developingquicklyduetotheexcellentand together with the shared cooking andMusasa school children learn to use a computerrelationshipestablishedwiththeHeadwater facilities, enabled new relationships Teacher.Suppliersfittingaspecifiedto be built with other local schools, and Installing the Soroptimistcriteria,withlocalknoweldgeandthe wider community. International plaque at Musasa School experience were selectedensuring a low risk approach for the Project. 4 5'