When night settled over remote villages in New Ireland’s Namatanai District, it was as if someone had switched off the lights – the bustle of busy communities halted, life’s everyday activities suspended till morning. But not anymore.
The Pawa Bilong Nui Ailan project installed solar power systems in Namatanai’s remotest communities. Now, as night draws in, solar energy lights up more than 9,000 homes and 151 streetlights across the district.
For Belinda Ricky, a Grade 2 teacher at Silom Primary School, the difference is night and day: “The project is benefiting the entire community, especially our students,” she said. “The lights encourage them to study at home at night. We’ve already seen an improvement in learning outcomes.”
While the project was implemented by Australia, the United Kingdom and the Namatanai District Development Authority, the solar systems were installed by members of the community. Belinda was one of the first to volunteer.
“As soon as I heard the project was looking for people to train as Solar Champions, I put my hand up straight away,” said Belinda. “I wanted to understand how the solar systems worked, so I could help to look after them.”
Magdalene Linman, a resident of Silom Village, was also keen to train as a Solar Champion: “I was really excited to learn new things. During the training, the instructors divided us into small groups to practice assembling and connecting the systems. This gave us the confidence to install them in the rest of the village.”
The project trained 592 Solar Champions, 296 women and 296 men. If anything goes wrong with the solar systems, the Champions are on hand to organise replacement parts or make repairs. A Solar Hub in Silom provides guidance and spare parts for the Solar Champions, ensuring they have the tools to do the job.
“We tell people that if anything goes wrong, get in touch with one of the Champions and we’ll take care of it. In my village, one home system had faulty wires connecting the lights to the battery. I got new ones from the solar hub and made the repair,” said Belinda.
With the Solar Champions on the job, Namatanai’s communities are guaranteed clean, affordable energy for years to come.
“When I see the village lit up, it makes me proud,” said Magdalene.
