Peepal and Mitra bring light to Jambulne school

On 23rd February 2008, Vasti shala, a tiny school in the small off-grid hamlet of Jambulne (Devgarh) near Pune, became the first Solar Study Center thanks to the efforts of our partners Peepal Foundation, a bunch of professionals working relentlessly to empower the under privileged.

The solar lighting system, Venus, gifted by Centrica Plc, will provide sufficient light for four hours after dusk for about 40 students of this hamlet to study, revise and prepare for important examinations. Peepal Foundation that holds educational and cultural programmes for the less fortunate students in Pune and Senior citizens also plans to use the Solar Study Center to run literacy and livelihood programmes for children and women when the center is not being used by the students.

Mitras will monitor this pilot project for six months for efficacy and efficiency and then replicate it to more such schools and community centers in off grid villages in the hinterlands of the country. Our objective of course is to empower with the right power, in this case solar power, but where possible we hope to use other renewable energy technologies suitable for local conditions.

Besides thanking the folks at Peepal Foundation for helping us realise the first project of our Solar Study Center concept, we will also take the opportunity to convey our best wishes and more power to Vineet Kharat, the force behind Peepal, on his birthday that happily enough coincided with the date of the installation.