Solar kiosk boosts community

A year after this solar kiosk was completed, it’s had a transformative impact on the village of Nsoma in Mangulu, Machinga District.

The solar kiosk currently powers a barbershop, a small grocery shop that sells refrigerated drinks and a well-lit hall that provides a for students to study in after dark while also doubling as a small cinema where community members can pay a small fee to watch films or football games. 

After receiving support from Churches Action Relief and Development (CARD) to install it, management of the kiosk is done through a committee who organise a rota system to ensure the solar kiosk businesses are staffed at all time and collectively manage the income from the businesses. Florence Katusi, a member of the committee said she has made 60’000 Malawian Kwacha thanks to her involvement in selling doughnuts and drinks. 

“It works because we work as a team, we decide what to do, with the kiosk, we are all leaders in the group and we need to branch out like this. Climate change has made farming harder so we can’t depend on the harvest alone.”

Jam Jamus, the Village Chief said the success of the solar kiosk is only the start.
“We want the business to grow so that this village becomes the place people come from all around when they need something, we are building new shops that will sell fish and vegetables, we want to became a trading centre for all the nearby villages.”