The complex comprises the orphanage, which houses up to 120 children aged from a few months up to 18, the Kipkeino elementary school and Baraka farm. The farm serves as a source of income and contributes towards making the site self-sufficient.
A total of 120 solar modules and six inverters make up the facility's new photovoltaic system. The 13,000 kilowatt hours of solar power generated will be shared proportionately between the orphanage, the school and the particularly energy-intensive farm. The donation has taken place at the initiative of Peter Meijers, Managing Director of IBC SOLAR B.V. and Udo Möhrstedt, founder and board chairman at IBC SOLAR AG in Germany.
"We were very keen to support this excellent facility. It is very moving to see and feel how worthwhile the intensive planning of the past few months and the challenging installation have been," explains Ronald Jaspar of IBC SOLAR B.V. Together with a Belgian friend and installer, he and his colleague Mokhtar Abrak dedicated themselves to ensuring successful implementation of the project on site. The installation of the grid-connected system took a total of two weeks.
"We used to pay around 1,200 euros a month for electricity. This requirement will now be covered by the installed solar modules," smiles farm manager Jos Creemers. Phyllis Keino, founder and director of Lewa Childrens Home complex, adds: "Thanks to this cost saving, we have more left over for care and modernization of the facility. Everything that we save with our photovoltaic system will be used to benefit the children."
Baraka farm runs its own cheese production plant, which has particularly high energy requirements. Some of the cheese and other agricultural products are sold, and the proceeds are given back to the orphanage. The elementary school provides free meals for the children. Accommodation and school teaching are as well entirely free for the LEWA children. The project is funded by donations and the income of the farm alone.
