Green Prophet reporter Arwa speaks to Rafi’a Abdul Hamid, a woman from the deserts of Jordan who has been trained as a solar engineer to help bring clean electricity to her poor village
For many living in the harsh and desolate deserts of south Jordan, life without electricity is the norm. Either the infrastructure which provides electricity doesn’t reach them or they simply don’t have the money to afford it. However, all that looks set to change as two women bring to light the advantages of solar energy.
Two Jordanian Bedouin women have recently returned from a six-month course at a unique college in India where they were trained as solar engineers. The two women, who are illiterate and have never been employed, were carefully selected by the elders in the village to attend the course at Barefoot college in India which helps poor rural communities become more sustainable.
“We’ve been taught about solar energy and solar panels and how to generate light,” explains Rafi’a Abdul Hamid, a mother of four who lives in a tent in the deserts of south Jordan. “Hopefully when we return we will be able to teach others and use everything we’ve learnt here in India to improve our village.”
Building Sustainable Bedouin Communities
Many of the Bedouin communities in Jordan which previously lived off their herds, are now highly dependent on government handouts. They usually make up the poorest sector of society and have a very low standard of living. As such the government sees this project as a strategic way to encourage these poor villages to generate their own energy and also become more self-sufficient.
Raouf Dabbas, the senior advisor to the Ministry of Environment in Jordan told Green Prophet: “Providing this green technology to the rural community, whilst it will not have a major impact on reducing climate change, it will have a profound impact on the socio-economic position of the bedouins and it will help improve their standard of living.”
The project is also seen as a stepping stone towards Jordan’s rather ambitious plans to source 20% of its energy mix from sustainable sources by 2020. “This is certainly one step in that direction,” adds Dabbas. “Jordan currently imports 98% of its oil and energy from the outside and at a time when crude oil prices are unstable, Jordan must actively look for sustainable forms of energy.”
Realising the Potential of Renewable Energy
As such, this project is not only about training women to help bring solar power to poor and remote villages but its also about demonstrating that renewable energy can improve people’s daily lives and also cut back emissions. Sponsers are required to help pay for the initial equipment setup but after that it the project will be able to sustain itself through the revenues it generates though excess electricity.
Barefoot college launched the solar power course for women in 2005 and already more than 150 grandmothers from 28 countries have been trained. Over 10,000 homes in 100 villages have been solar electrified which has saved 1.5 million litres of kerosene from polluting the atmosphere. With so much success already you can’t help but feel confident that change is also on the way for the sleepy bedouin villages of south Jordan.
As Rafi’a insists, “I have no doubt that we are going to achieve a lot- I’m hoping that my life and that of my village will change forever.”
:: Image via Barefoot College. The College trains poor, rural women to become Barefoot Solar Engineers who solar electrify their own communities. Barefoot Solar Engineers from 32 countries have been trained by the College since 2004.
For more on Jordan see:
Is the Middle East Buying into Disastrous Biofuels?
Jordan Signs up for Epic ‘Sahara Forest Project’
Jordanian Environmentalist to Fight Ajloun Forest Construction
Yes, the proud women from the Eastern Jordanian dessert are back home. They are fiercely committed to their dream of having their own source of sustainable income for them and their families and providing electricity for their village. last week we met in their village (about 300 Km East of the capitol Amman)with both the village elders and residents and together with the NGO working in that area prepared a work plan for moving forward. The plan includes setting up their own cooperative, getting training on how to manage the cooperative, setting up the training, maintenance and equipment storage area and empowering the villagers to support the project. We have submitted the project to several donors and hopefully soon we will have a response for the initial amount needed to get started.
Raouf Dabbas
Senior Advisor
Ministry of Environment
Jordan
Thank you so much Raouf for your response. Will you keep us posted on the progress?
I will !!
Thanks for comments Taf and Charles! I was so excited about this project that it was actually fun tracking down the women to speak to them- I really really hope that they get the support to get solar power off the ground in their villages because its a real and viable solution.
Like Charles says, we need to promote this project so that they can get some sponsors for the initial equipment..
Spread the word people 🙂
It’s a wonderful idea. Providing sustainable solution in the poorest countries in order to help them in a both economical and ecological way. Electricity is at the heart of an economic development, it will definitely help these people in their daily lives and will allow them to create a new start.
It’s important, now to promote this kind of mission, and find more and more sponsers.
Arwa, this is an incredible article, both in content and delivery. What a fantastic program – one that really does have the power to transform whole villages. Socks duly blown off.