Hey guys and gals, here is a short clip from the performance at our fundraising event "A Night in Africa". Due to some last minute heroics from the volunteers and organizers, the dinner went very well and everyone seemed to have a good time. I planned to get a video of the ambassador's speech, however, I was caught off guard and missed the opportunity to position myself for a decent viewing angle. It was a very inspirational address and it reinforced my determination to take part in this amazing opportunity. I, like most Americans, take way too many things for granted and I know this experience will give me a much greater appreciation for all that I have. Enjoy.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Solar Hope Team Sells Out Event "A Night in Africa"
The rest of the volunteers and I were very excited to learn that we have sold all the tickets for our first major fundraising event of the year, "A Night in Africa". The dinner will feature an authentic drum and dance performance and special guest Her Excellency Ambassador Maajar of Tanzania. Also, I have just discovered that fellow volunteer Paul Franzosa and I will be the servers for the ambassador's table because we have had previous serving experience. Wish me luck!
A Night in Africa - Sold Out!
A Night in Africa - Sold Out!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
A Night in Africa
On April 14th a dinner is being held to gain recognition and funds. The event, "A night in Africa," is going to be a dinner event with local large businesses, like Nike and Intel, OIT students, and the ambassador of Tanzania.
Here are some details about the event:
Solar Hope in partnership with Oregon Institute of Technology present
A Night in Africa
Sponsored by GLUMAC
Engineers for a Sustainable Future
An evening of African food, music, images and stories from Solar Hope’s projects in Tanzania.
Featuring special guest Her Excellency Ambassador Maajar of Tanzania.
Thursday, Apr 14, 2011, 6:00pm
Ecotrust Natural Capital Center
721 NW 9th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
Join Oregon Institute of Technology students to celebrate the people of Africa, discuss renewable energy and to support the Solar HOPE project in Tanzania that will bring lights to schools and hospitals; and dramatically impact education and health care for thousands of children across the country.
A select number of individual tickets are available for $25 per person.
Sponsorship of solar installation for a school or clinic is encouraged, and includes a reserved table and seating with the ambassador at the event: $2500-$3500.
For tickets and more information visit www.solar-hope.org or email us at info@solar-hope.org. Together, we can bring the gift of light, the promise of hope, and the restoration of faith in humanity to people in Africa.
Asante sana,
Solar HOPE
Here are some details about the event:
Solar Hope in partnership with Oregon Institute of Technology present
A Night in Africa
Sponsored by GLUMAC
Engineers for a Sustainable Future
An evening of African food, music, images and stories from Solar Hope’s projects in Tanzania.
Featuring special guest Her Excellency Ambassador Maajar of Tanzania.
Thursday, Apr 14, 2011, 6:00pm
Ecotrust Natural Capital Center
721 NW 9th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
Join Oregon Institute of Technology students to celebrate the people of Africa, discuss renewable energy and to support the Solar HOPE project in Tanzania that will bring lights to schools and hospitals; and dramatically impact education and health care for thousands of children across the country.
A select number of individual tickets are available for $25 per person.
Sponsorship of solar installation for a school or clinic is encouraged, and includes a reserved table and seating with the ambassador at the event: $2500-$3500.
For tickets and more information visit www.solar-hope.org or email us at info@solar-hope.org. Together, we can bring the gift of light, the promise of hope, and the restoration of faith in humanity to people in Africa.
Asante sana,
Solar HOPE
Trip Update
As the trips nears I will continually report on the status of my fundraising efforts. Furthermore, I will provide updates on the status of all the installations as frequently as possible while in Tanzania. Besides fundraising, the group of volunteers and I are working hard to ready ourselves for the trip. We are currently figuring out the logistics of getting our donated equipment to Tanzania and we are designing the systems on paper in order to maximize our efficiency while in Africa. In order to provide the hospital with adequate power, I must design a system that matches the load requirements of the hospital. To learn more about the engineering aspects of the project please see the "Project" tab. Also, we have begun weekly Swahili lessons! A basic understanding of their language and the ability to speak it, albeit brokenly, will help us interact with the villagers and will demonstrate our respect for their culture.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Open Letter
Dear Family and Friends,
This summer I plan to travel to remote parts of Tanzania to help design and install solar energy systems on schools and medical clinics. This trip is the by-product of a multidisciplinary collaboration between the Non-Profit organization Solar Hope and my current school, Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT). Each summer a group of 10-15 student volunteers spend a month in Tanzania, traveling from remote village to remote village installing renewable energy systems that will power both schools and hospitals. Also, each student is assigned a project site that they are designated the lead engineer for and I have been assigned to a hospital in the town of Mlowa.
The nearly 8,000 residents of Mlowa are without electricity and any reliable forms of transportation, hindering their medicinal capabilities and access to clean water. A solar electricity system will radically transform their quality of life. For example, access to electricity will allow them to operate a vaccine refrigerator and a microscope for virus identification, pump their own potable water (instead of traveling miles by foot to the nearest lake), and charge their electronic equipment (cell phones and laptops are carried by foot on a weekly basis to towns miles away). Charging of electronic equipment may seem trivial in the scheme of things; however, cell phones and laptops are vital to the community’s education system and are their only resource for medicinal education and the outside world.
There are many obstacles that coincide with a trip of this magnitude and the most obvious is financing. Each volunteer is responsible for raising a base of $3,500 to purchase equipment for their project site and to fund any other costs associated with getting the supplies there and getting the systems installed. Furthermore, I am still in the process of fundraising and I am hoping that I can gain some support for this great cause through my blog. As previously stated, the site that I will be the lead engineer is the hospital in the isolated village of Mlowa. The total cost of the solar system needed to power the hospital is $3,500 and the installation will not be possible if I cannot raise these fund.
I would never commit to something of this scale unless I felt it was meaningful and important. Hopefully you share that sentiment and I will keep the blog fresh with updates for any of you that are interested in following the project.
I sincerely thank you for your support.
Matthew "Foo" Smith
This summer I plan to travel to remote parts of Tanzania to help design and install solar energy systems on schools and medical clinics. This trip is the by-product of a multidisciplinary collaboration between the Non-Profit organization Solar Hope and my current school, Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT). Each summer a group of 10-15 student volunteers spend a month in Tanzania, traveling from remote village to remote village installing renewable energy systems that will power both schools and hospitals. Also, each student is assigned a project site that they are designated the lead engineer for and I have been assigned to a hospital in the town of Mlowa.
The nearly 8,000 residents of Mlowa are without electricity and any reliable forms of transportation, hindering their medicinal capabilities and access to clean water. A solar electricity system will radically transform their quality of life. For example, access to electricity will allow them to operate a vaccine refrigerator and a microscope for virus identification, pump their own potable water (instead of traveling miles by foot to the nearest lake), and charge their electronic equipment (cell phones and laptops are carried by foot on a weekly basis to towns miles away). Charging of electronic equipment may seem trivial in the scheme of things; however, cell phones and laptops are vital to the community’s education system and are their only resource for medicinal education and the outside world.
There are many obstacles that coincide with a trip of this magnitude and the most obvious is financing. Each volunteer is responsible for raising a base of $3,500 to purchase equipment for their project site and to fund any other costs associated with getting the supplies there and getting the systems installed. Furthermore, I am still in the process of fundraising and I am hoping that I can gain some support for this great cause through my blog. As previously stated, the site that I will be the lead engineer is the hospital in the isolated village of Mlowa. The total cost of the solar system needed to power the hospital is $3,500 and the installation will not be possible if I cannot raise these fund.
I would never commit to something of this scale unless I felt it was meaningful and important. Hopefully you share that sentiment and I will keep the blog fresh with updates for any of you that are interested in following the project.
I sincerely thank you for your support.
Matthew "Foo" Smith
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