Modi meets 'Solar Mamas' of Africa

Solar Mamas, who come from across Africa, are trained at Barefoot college in Rajasthan's Tilonia village or the centre in Tanzania

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday interacted with ‘Solar Mamas’, a group of nearly 30 rural women solar engineers from six African countries, who have been trained under India’s developmental support for harnessing solar energy.

“Celebrating the Solar Mamas! PM interacts with women trained in vocational skills under India’s developmental support,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

The ‘Solar Mamas’, who come from across Africa, are trained at the Barefoot college in Rajasthan’s Tilonia village or the centre in Tanzania. Modi interacted with all the women, who have been trained to fabricate, install, use, repair and maintain solar lanterns and household solar lighting systems in their villages.

The group of about 30 Solar Mamas from Tanzania and a few other African countries demonstrated their skills in fabrication, repair and maintenance of solar lanterns and household lighting system in presence of the Prime Minister.
 

They also presented their honey-extraction and stitching practices and sung a song "we shall overcome".

The presentation was also attended by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Tanzania Dr Susan A Kolimba and Zanzibar Minister of Land, Housing, Water and Energy, Salama Aboud Talib.

Modi, who arrived here in Tanzania yesterday as part of his four-nation Africa tour aimed at enhancing ties with the continent, particularly in the economic sphere, posed for photographs with 'Solar Mamas' following the interaction.

The women are also trained in solar electrification and other entrepreneurial skills such as bee-keeping and tailoring.

Under Government of India-supported programmes, the college in Rajasthan has been promoting and training rural women solar engineers from Africa in household solar lighting systems.

A barefoot women vocational training college in Zanzibar Islands of Tanzania and other countries in Africa has also been setup for imparting solar electrification skills and distributing solar kits.

These colleges also support various entrepreneurial skills such a bee-keeping and tailoring among others.

The barefoot trained solar mamas have fabricated and installed solar kits, and now maintain on self-sufficient basis these solar electrification systems in their communities.