In September, I finally got the chance to visit Sumba Island as part of Kopernik’s Wonder Woman program. My five day journey was filled with exciting activities as I traveled from the east of Sumba, Kalala, to Tambolaka in the west. I met so many interesting people who were proud to share their stories and experiences as I traveled to remote villages conducting Technology Fairs and visiting Kopernik’s technology users.
Om Gabriel’s story was the most memorable of the journey. Om Gabriel lives in the small village of Makatimbi, one and a half hour’s drive from Sumba’s biggest city, Waingapu. His house was difficult to find, even with the help of Widi, our Program Officer in Sumba and West Flores. With no specific address, we slowly passed each house looking for Om Gabriel’s house.
The distance from one house to another was very far and they did not have street addresses or numbers. We kept looking until we finally saw a d.light S20 solar light hanging gracefully on a tree, under the scorching sun of Sumba.
“That’s the house,” Widi said with excitement.
Om Gabriel lives in a simple house with his wife and his baby grandson. To make ends meet, he works as a sorgum farmer, a type of buckwheat common in eastern Indonesia and a famous local delicacy.
Makatimbi village is a very dry place with limited access to clean water, especially at this time of the year. To get clean water, Om Gabriel collects rainwater during rainy season and buys packaged water, at great cost, when the rainwater tanks run dry.
As well as the challenges of finding fresh water, Om Gabriel’s village is not yet electrified. Before buying the d.light S20, Om Gabriel and his family relied on expensive kerosene as their main source of lighting fuel. The kerosene costs around US$1 per litre, and one litre lasts only three days. Now that he is proudly using the solar light from Kopernik, he can put these expenses behind him.
“WE NO LONGER USE KEROSENE LAMPS ANYMORE, JUST THIS (SOLAR LIGHT) AS OUR SOURCE OF LIGHT DURING NIGHT TIME,” SAID OM GABRIEL WHILE SHOWING US HIS D.LIGHT S20 SOLAR LIGHT.
Transitioning from kerosene to solar light usually takes time, but it’s a different story for Om Gabriel. Once he bought the solar light, he stopped using the kerosene lamp completely!
Om Gabriel first came to know about the d.light S20 through our “free trial” campaign when we lent our solar light to him for one week. He fell in love instantly! But there was a slight problem, at that time he could not afford the solar light, as it was not yet harvest season. So how did he solve this problem? He insisted on buying the solar light with Rp100,000 (around US$8) and a chicken! He wanted it terribly and we could not help but to agree with his unusual payment proposal.
From Om Gabriel’s story, I can see the essence of Kopernik’s Wonder Women program. To distribute simple technologies to people in remote areas who need it the most – that’s what matters. If people really do need it, paying even with a chicken won’t be a problem! From my short visit to Makatimbi, I can see how our main mission – serving the last mile – is being applied in the real world.
PS Om Gabriel’s chicken is now in the loving care of one of Kopernik’s Wonder Women, Mama Eta.
To distribute simple technologies to people in remote areas who need it the most – that’s what matters.
Om Gabriel insisted on buying the solar light with Rp100,000 (around US$8) and a chicken!
Transitioning from kerosene to solar light usually takes time, but it’s a different story for Om Gabriel. Once he bought the solar light, he stopped using the kerosene lamp completely!
