David
Wiwchar Lighting
Project Phase III
Project
Initiation Date: September
2004
Estimated
Completion Date: March
2007
Homes Lit: 145
homes
Ontario
teacher David Wiwchar
and his family are
working with teachers
in remote schools of
the Chirripo region,
the Organic Farm Co-operative
APPTA and CEDIN an
indigenous NGO in Costa
Rica to support a network
to receive and distribute
lighting systems and
collect payment for
future purchases by
the communities. David
took another 40 lighting
systems to Costa Rica
over the March Break
of 2006 bringing total
homes lit to 85, in
excess of 400 people
have received electric
light for the first
time in their history.
David Wiwchar's
Article
I am David Wiwchar,
a science teacher at LasalleSecondary
School in SudburyOntario.
After reading a Canadian
Geographic (December
2003) article on Light
up the World I was
immediately reminded
of Indigenous families
I had visited in remote
regions of Costa Rica
and dreamed of doing
something to help them
improve their situation.
Everything literally
fell into place and
it was only 6 months
later that my wife
Pamela and I were landing
in Costa Rica with
our 4 children to spend
2 months delivering
panels and setting
up networks to receive,
distribute and collect
repayment for solar
lighting systems. As
we paused on the hike
in to deliver the first
systems I looked out
over lush hillsides
where steam rose up
out of the rainforest
and marveled at how
quickly the dream had
become reality.
The
people were most
pleased with the
lighting systems,
particularly their
compact size and
relatively low cost.
They were excited
about the prospect
of owning them outright
instead of perpetual
rental payments.
Students at LasalleSecondary
School in SudburyOntarioCanada
purchased the first
5 systems through
their Student's
Council. We are in
process of fund-raising
30-40 systems annually.
On Oct 28th of 2004
an Awake-A-Thon event
was attended by 80
students who had
each raised at least
$60 to gain entry
to a full night of
dancing, games and
movies in the gymnasium.
Laurentian University
students delivered
40 systems in April
of 2005 and a group
of 16 Rainbow District
School Board students
hiked out into the
mountains over the
March Break to deliver
40 systems purchased
by the October 2005
fundraiser called
the “Hunger
Strike for Light”.
LUTW
provided a 5 watt
solar panel about
1 foot square and
a 12 Volt 7.5 amp
hour sealed lead
acid battery with
2 LED white light
emitting diode 1
watt lamps on a few
feet of cable with
switches on each.
I added a resistor
to connect 3 or 6
volt radios and a
couple of rechargeable
LED headlamps to
bring their monthly
savings up to $10
with which they can
repay the systems
and make funds available
for a neighbour to
receive one. Systems
cost approximately
$120 Canadian so
we expect that they
will be able to repay
in a year. Gilbert
Gonzales Maroto of
www.cedincr.org is
selecting recipient
families in the South
Pacific Region of Costa
Rica through
community organizations
and he is sending
funds back for purchases
of additional systems.
We have placed 85
systems and hope
to send 30 annually
until the project
seems to be self-perpetuating.
Walter
Rodríguez
Vargas of www.appta.org
is leading the project
in the South
Carribean area
of Costa
Rica. He
is deducting payments
at harvest time from
the sale of organic
agricultural products
through the Association
of Small Agricultural
Producers of Talamanca.
In the South Central
region we are working
with teachers who
hike into remote
schools throughout
the Indigenous Reserves
of Chirripo through
one of their superintendants,
Jesus Vidal Sivas.
They advanced half
the cost of each
system delivered
in April 2005 and
are making payments
deducted from their
monthly salary to
have a system in
the home where they
are living. They
are helping organize
3 other families
in the community
into a lending group
that will benefit
from the $120 as
it passes from family
to family to buy
each a lighting system.
The teacher is the
model, with a steady
salary they repay
the system, thus
making the funds
available to a second
family who repays,
with the support
of the others in
the lending group
so that the funds
are available to
the third family
etc. In the event
of failure to repay
no funds would be
available to that
lending group unless
they helped complete
payment. It would
be hoped that in
the event that a
family were unable
to repay, they would
pass the system to
a family who was
able to repay at
this time and wait
till the others in
the lending group
have received systems
to try again. This
lending group concept
will be attempted
in all regions, a
community leader
would take the place
of the teacher in
other areas. The
teachers are particularly
beneficial in the
Chirripo area since
it is very remote
with no access by
motorized vehicles.
Teachers hike out
for monthly meetings
making bank deposits
and delivery of panels
feasible. Our visit
with secondary school
students in March ’06
included a meeting
with 23 Indigenous
leaders and community
members who were
within a 6 hour hike
of the cattle ranch
where the meeting
was held. This
year the Indigenous
communities of Chirripo
purchased 12 systems
with their own funds
recuperated from
the 21 systems installed
in the region in
the past couple of
years. It is
most encouraging
to see the commitment
level of the people. In
the March 06 meeting
people drew winning
tickets from a hat
to decide who would
receive this year’s
systems. The
winners promised
the others from their
community that they
would repay the systems
promptly so that
one would be available
for them next March. We
are looking forward
to successful fundraisers
again this year and
plan to return with
another shipment
for the March Break
of 2007.
An
extra $10 a month
is a substantial
amount of money for
people who cultivate
thenpack
15 kilos of beans
on their back for
days to earn $6 for
a bit of salt, soap
and kerosene. Those
in the more remote
areas may not be
able to repay the
systems in a year.
We are asking those
responsible for distributing
the systems to look
at the savings incurred
to decide on a fair
rate of repayment.
The objective is
to improve their
life and strengthen
their communities
not burden them with
high monthly payments.
It is hoped that
the benefits will
be similar to those
observed in Nepal
where school children
who previously were
unable to study in
the evenings were
able to breathe clean
air while reading
and writing under
bright white LED
light. In July of
2004 my daughter
Katie (9 yrs old)
and I hiked in to
deliver 2 systems
in the South Pacific
Region of Costa
Rica near Buenos
Aires. We
were impressed by
the self-sufficient
lifestyle of the
families we visited.
They had bins of
all sorts of fruit
and vegetables in
the kitchen, bunches
of plantain and bananas
hanging, pigs, chickens,
horses, cattle and
Tilapia fish. They
shared a soup of
beans and corn that
was delicious as
was a sweet hot drink
of mashed banana.
As spiritual leader
of the region Miguel
repeatedly asked
Gilbert to encourage
the people to plant
crops, he explained
that if the people
would work the land
they would have an
abundance of food.
It
is most rewarding
to receive reports
back from recipients
that the systems
are working well. When
I call to check on
progress, project
leaders tell me of
building excitement
as community leaders
come out of the mountains
wanting to meet and
get involved. The
number of systems
we can send is directly
linked to funds raised
since we have no
expenses for shipping,
delivery or installation. At
this stage all funds
go directly to the
purchase of systems,
all travel is paid
for by the individual
students and whatever
sponsors they can
recruit. Lasalle's
Student’s Council
will accept donations
that go directly
to the project but
cannot issue tax
receipts. Cheques
for less than $50
can be made out to “RainbowDistrictSchool
Board (RDSB), LasalleSecondary
School Student’s
Council.” To
obtain charitable
donation receipts
for amounts in excess
of $50 please make
cheques payable to “University
of Calgary: Light
Up the World, memo:
Costa Rica Project” and
send them to the
address at Lasalle
S.S. listed below. Student
involvement in fundraising
and delivery of systems
has been another
great benefit of
the project. After
9 days of visiting
volcanoes, hot springs,
rainforest and beaches
students backpack
systems out to remote
villages to install
a few of the systems
they worked to purchase.
Thank-you for your
interest in the project,
feel free to contact
me with any questions
or comments.
David
Wiwchar
Lasalle
Secondary
School
(RDSB)
1545
Kennedy
Street
Sudbury
ON
P3A
2G1
Phone
(705)
566-2280
e-mail:
wiwchad@rainbowschools.ca
