Dinner in the Darkness

KC and I have been learning about different aspects of life in Nepal. One part of life I had read about but was not sure of the impact was load sharing. Load sharing is the government turning off electricity across the country to conserve energy. Currently, there are 25 hours a week when the country does not have electricity. This number is expected to grow to 36 hours. The hours are not published on a regular basis creating even greater challenges.

So. . . what does that really mean. It means:

• a child needs to use the bathroom at night and there are no lights
• the children are watching TV and it goes out
• the didis are cutting vegetables for tomorrow's meal and have to resort to candlelight
• the children are eating and we have to find candles so they can see their food

It means that there is no certainty that there will be electricity at any point during the day. It is a monstrous inconvenience for everyone.

Dinesh, KC, Chris and I were discussing possible solutions the other day. Dinesh made a recommendation for solar panels to power reserve lights so there would at the very least always be light. After investigating several options, Dinesh found the best deal was four solar panels with a reliable battery that can power six lights for 40,000 Nepalese Rupees (current conversation rate is 61.02 to the USD). This works out to be about $650. This was not an expected cost so we looking to raise $650 for solar panels that will supply the house with inexpensive, reliable electricity.

If you are interested in donating, please visit the Sam's House website at http://www.sams-house.org/Help/youcanhelp.html. If you have additional questions, please post to the comments. I will gather additional information if necessary to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for your support and generosity.

In the meantime, the didis will continue to use our headlamps for cooking and cleaning. They get a big kick out of the halogen head lamps. KC uses hers to help children go to the bathroom before bed.