And switching gears now… Belize's three favorite lady solar engineers have done it again - this time bringing electricity to a village that has never seen the light, once the sun sets, that is. The three indigenous women studied at Barefoot College in India, leaving their homes and families, to be able to bring light to their communities.
Now, they're working with the government for a project called "Indigenous Female Solar Engineers Scaling up Solar Energy to Machakilha and Graham Creek." And it's exactly what it says - these women are providing solar lamps and generators for families in need.
They've been waiting for the solar panels to arrive in country, and on Tuesday, they were delivered to the village. Today, we caught up with one of the engineers to get an update on their work. Courtney Menzies spoke with her via phone and has this story.
20 families in Machakilha have turned on their light switch for the first time over this past week. The residents of the remote village have spent their lives in the dark, but thanks to three Maya women, they now have electricity in their homes.
Miriam and Christina Choc and Florentine Choco each spent six months studying to be solar engineers in India and are now putting that knowledge to use with the help of the Ministry of Rural Transformation and Plenty Belize.
And by tomorrow, every family in Machakilha will get to experience a basic necessity that they have long been without.
Today, we spoke with Miriam Choc over the phone about their progress so far.
Voice of: Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"We have started to install, we came here on Tuesday, we reach here to Machakilha and then at night, in the evening, we start to install. First, we install in the Community Center."
Courtney Menzies:
"So how many families have you installed for so far?"
Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"Um, I think like 18 families now. They have lights at home. And I'm here with one of the families, Mr Venancio Pop, I'm installing in his house now."
Courtney Menzies: "What's been the feedback or the reaction of the villagers after they realise they have electricity now?"
Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"They are happy. They were waiting for too long. Now, the solar reach and they have light in their homes."
Courtney Menzies:
"And how many houses in all will you guys do?"
Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"I think because I install two for the business but I install bigger system for the business."
Courtney Menzies:
"Businesses that are in Machakilha?"
Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"Like grocery shop, they have freezers so they can sell cold drinks or they can sell like meat, they can store meat."
Courtney Menzies:
"They use a different system than the houses?"
Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"Yup, the others, they get a 120 watt system and the 50 watt system. And those are just for light, light home system or to charge their phones or they can connect their TV, they 120, they get the inverter for that. But the 50 watts, they don't get the invertor."
Courtney Menzies:
"By when do you guys expect to finish the rest of the houses?"
Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"Tomorrow we expect, and we're expecting to leave Sunday."
But before the engineers leave the village, they are imparting their knowledge to two other women in the village.
Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"And they will have some helpers, two ladies are going with us, like me, I have a helper and she will take over when we leave Machakilha, they're the ones to see if there are problems with the system."
And despite the struggles being away from their villages of Santa Elena and Santa Teresa, along with having to travel on Machakilha's up-and-coming road which gets muddy with the rain, Choc said the experience was well worth it to be able to assist another southern community.
Miriam Choc, Solar Engineer
"I'm very happy… and I feel very grateful because I am all the way here from Machakilha, I leave my house, I leave my family, and come here to help the people. I know it's hard when you don't have light and I know they're really in need of it and I'm very happy now that the project is here and they have waiting for so many years."
Next week, the women will be heading to Graham Creek to bring electricity to another remote and long neglected village.
In April, the women registered their own company, Belize Power Connect Limited, and will be providing this solar service to anyone who hires them.
