Children, Mothers, and Families

“Because I am a learned man, I feel that I must lead by example,” explains Paul. “When people come to visit and see some of the products I have bought from Harriet, my Living Goods Community Health Promoter, they always admire them and are encouraged to buy for themselves. Paul is Harriet’s best customer and a model client.  At a recent visit he told us about how the d.light solar lamp he bought from Living Goods is improving his health, household savings, and helping his children stay focused on their schoolwork.

“Power is a big problem here, we are on the national grid now but it is not very reliable. I am lucky that I have an inverter, but it is not very efficient because I have to drive for 5km to charge the battery. And the paraffin lamps are expensive to use and give off a lot of bad smoke. In fact, I am convinced it is because of those lamps that I have chest complaints and eye problems; they’re just not good for your health. But the d.light solar lamp is changing all that. I just leave it outside to charge in the day, put it on a hook inside in the evening and it lights up the whole room. I use it every day; it is a must-use product for us. I have five children and seven dependents, and they need a proper – and healthy – source of light to do their homework. With the solar lamp, they can read properly and it lasts for hours – they really like it, they want me to buy another one. Even though 110,000 UGX is quite an investment, I don’t think it is too expensive. Before, with the paraffin lamps, I would spend at least 15,000 UGX per week on fuel so the investment is quickly earned back. And most importantly, the room is no longer filled with bad smoke every night!”

Being the shrewd saleswoman that she is, Harriet brought along a sample of the Envirofit wood stove in the hope that Paul might be interested. And she is not wrong. Paul studies it with great interest and enthusiasm and immediately says, “I want one of these, the one we have now burns everything and leaves dirt and ashes in the food – it is not befitting of the standard of living that I wish to display as a role model. I have to think of my children; the example I am setting for them and what I will be leaving behind when I’m gone. I have a lot of fruit trees on my land, but if I keep cutting them all down for firewood and to make charcoal, there will be nothing left for them. I believe in efficiency, and I can tell that this stove will use a lot less wood because the way it has been designed. I have to be economical and think of he environment for my children.”

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