As we hope to emerge from the worst of the pandemic I am anxious to get the SCF back on track. Our Vision is: To Make Things Better. Our Mission is: health promotion and disease prevention in underserved low income countries. Our tactics have been to help bring better health care to Biharamulo Designated District Hospital ( BDDH) in western Tanzania. Since 2008 we have made 11 clinical trips to BDDH during which we directly delivered and improved health care. Each of those volunteer clinical trips lasted from one to three months and in that process we have created a bonded, long term relationship with the hospital and the surrounding community.
After 13 years of experience I have seen that we can make a bigger impact on our vision To Make Things Better by creating a better infrastructure at BDDH. Specifically, that means bringing stable, reliable and inexpensive electricity to the hospital. Having 24-7 electricity creates a safer working environment and prevents medical and surgical disasters, something that I have personally experienced. There are few more frustrating and scary moments than having the lights go out in a night time emergency operation. The electric power grid infrastructure in Tanzania is unreliable and unsustainable. Having reliable electricity allows health care improvement at BDDH to advance to and stay abreast of medical progress in the 21st century.
Like everything, the situation in Biharamulo is changing. We are now, hopefully, seeing the beginning of control of Covid19. At the same time, we now face the growing reality of climate change. Without immediate change on a global scale climate change will continue to get unpredictably worse. Sadly, the most destructive climate changes occur in the low income countries, all of whom have had little or no contribution to its existence. Tanzania is one of those low income countries.
The SCF happens to be in a very good position to make things better, to promote health and prevent disease and to help slow the effects of climate change.
With three successful solar projects completed in and around BDDH we have the experience and local credibility to help poor countries like Tanzania choose safer and cleaner and better economic alternatives to coal and diesel. COP 26 has shown us that on a global scale significant change to alternatives is very unlikely to happen by 2050. Because it is unlikely to happen is the exact reason why we need to do more, act now and follow our mission to make things better, safer, cleaner and less expensive
I believe our biggest impact can be if we help Biharamulo skip the 19th century based carbon energy phase of its development. Diesel and oil and coal are still a strong temptation for developing countries because of their low startup costs. As poor developing countries make choices to fill their expanding energy needs we need to help them make solar energy become a choice to power their growing infrastructure.
Expanding to solar power we can create clean, carbon free, reliable and affordable energy. Additionally, by doing so, we help a poor country do what rich countries are trying to do. Finally, by doing so, we can make things better over a wide spectrum, from effects on health care improvement all the way down to allowing a young student have electric light to do their homework at night. And every time we put up a new solar array it stands as an active advertisement and teaching moment to the people of western Tanzania. Each solar project we put up shows them that economic development and good health care go hand in hand and that progress doesn’t depend on carbon based energy. In essence solar power in Tanzania saves lives and saves money.
Let’s do this. We can be a model for change. We are small but we can have a big effect on a small, poor country that faces huge challenges and threats as it tries to grow. Even better, we can also affect the health of the planet itself.
