I was introduced to The Local Electricity Project whilst training for the Digital Mums Advanced Diploma in Social Media Marketing. I love working with start-ups and social enterprises, so this exciting opportunity ticked both boxes. Co-founder, Samson, is enthusiastic, astute and very passionate about the organisation. His is energy for the cause is contagious.

 

One of my personal and professional values is social justice and I believe it is essential that people are given the opportunity to make genuine change within their own lives. Over a number of visits, I spent time working with a women’s project in Managua, Nicaragua. During these periods, I witnessed first-hand how resourceful and enterprising people can be. For many, obtaining resources and expertise, is all that is needed to take an idea, run with it and create something remarkable.

 

My role within The Local Electricity Project is managing the social media. I believe that social media has a key role to play in every organisation, and can be particularly beneficial to social enterprises. As we all know, communication is key, so as a means to spread the message of what an organisation is doing, social media is fantastic. It encourages conversation and meaningful interactions between people across the globe, raising awareness for projects such as The Local Electricity Project. Compared to traditional media, social media is really cost-effective, enabling many more potential supporters to be reached on a smaller budget.

In rural Zambia, only 5% of the population have access to electricity. The Local Electricity Project are working hard to change this, whilst also promoting sustainable community development. Samson and his team aim to raise £45,000 to teach 350 students and 25 trainers how to generate their own electricity. The tool they will use to do this is the Le1, a DIY charge controller. Students will learn how to build their own kit and then invent ingenious ways to power it, using wind, water, solar or hand crank. This process facilitates innovative thinking and taps into the human resourcefulness that I believe is in each and every one of us.