Yesterday was a meeting with old friends. The Teuk Sa'at group also happens to be our main subcontracting group for digging wells, building toilets, working with villages, and more. Personal discussions about the work are far more meaningful. How else would you gather small bits of seemingly unrelated information? The reports showing newly constructed resources are amazing. But they lack the vibrant personality.
Mr. Chea Phorn's (លោក ជា ផន), second from the left, recently returned from travels with his family. Ing Vanak (on the right) does the reporting and accounting. They've been doing this work since about 1997. It started small and mostly supported UN and independent organizations. To say the well installations are strong is an understatement. Other water solutions are just a simple hand pump compared to their work. Theirs withstand decades of use when others run dry in a year.
The needs here are shifting over time. But not dramatically. Instead of a mix of roughly 80% toilet installations and 20% wells we will consider closer to 70/30 for the next few years. These personal meetings help talk through the long term planning better than emails ever could.
Electricity has always been a challenge around Siem Reap province. The upgraded roads included underground electric, water, and sewer. They did it all at once. So strange to go from dirt roads to pavement seemingly overnight. But that's in town. The situation in the villages remains the same.
In 2019 we nearly had a nice project going. An off-grid solar setup that provides light and a way to charge a phone. The supplies were identified, the instructions drafted, and the first few pilot projects done for some learning and refinement.
This year I walked into the solar shop and something caught my eye. It's this one on Google Maps with the car batteries out front. "What's that?" I asked the owner via our friend Praim. I pointed to a solar light. Simple construction of a street lamp style with a panel on the top. These are showing up in the United States now. The owner pulled one out of the box. Sure enough, it charges during the day and can light up a big area for hours at night. Even comes with a remote.
No more car battery, no more gigantic panel, no more wiring. "What about charging a cell phone?". Praim asked and the owner who clearly answered in the affirmative. You don't need to speak much Khmer to understand that look of excitement. A different solar light this time with a USB port. The owner even plugged in a phone to show it working. "Ok, so how much?".
$20.
The project kit was coming out around $250. This thing sitting on the table did all that and more for less than 10% of the previous cost. The potential is vast. So when meeting with the folks at Teuk Saat the next day, we asked. Would this work? How many would you need?
Surprisingly the answer was somewhat hesitant. Yes, they can see the use of them. But some people are getting electric service even out in a few villages. So not everywhere. And perhaps the cell phone charger isn't needed. But yes, they saw the value.
We'll pick up about 25 of the solar lights without cell phone charging and a few with the charger. These will be a new pilot project to see if this is a better solution. Starting over on a project is not a bad thing, especially when technology changes. Better to be flexible. Sometimes you can do a lot more good.