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Obama's Kenyan grandmother joins the Solar Generation

2009-08-20 16:48 BJT

By Daniel Ooko

NAIROBI, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Young Kenyans working with Greenpeace's Solar Generation are tackling the twin problems of energy poverty and climate change by installing solar panels on the Senator Barack Obama School in Kogelo village, west Kenya, and on the roof of the house of Mama Sarah -- the U.S. president's grandmother.

"I am very pleased that my home has been improved thanks to solar energy and I will make sure my grandson hears about it. Solar power is clean, reliable and affordable, unlike paraffin that is widely used in the area," Sarah said according to a statement from the Greenpeace issued on Thursday.

"Also, we now have qualified youth in the village who can help with the upkeep of the systems," said Sarah.

The solar installations are part of a 20-day renewable energy workshop hosted by Greenpeace's Solar Generation with 25 participants from the Kibera Community Youth Programme and community members of Nyang'oma Kogelo.

Young Kenyans are learning how solar photovoltaic panels generate electricity and about their installation and maintenance, the fabrication of self-assembling solar lamps and marketing potential.

Robert Kheyi, project coordinator for the Kibera Community Youth Programme, said the workshop and practical installation of solar power are a critical opportunity "for us to develop our own skills in renewable energy installation. Not only do we get to act against the devastating effects of climate change in Kenya, but also develop a source of revenue."