Impact: Off Grid Electric
While working to support the proliferation of biogas & solar loans for Kiva borrowers in Vietnam, I came to realize that helping people is extremely important, but if we destroy our planet through climate change, there will be no people left to help. After my work with Kiva ended, I decided to pursue a path in which I can both help people and mitigate negative influences on the environment. I accepted a position as a Business Development Consultant, Product & Project Manager with Off Grid Electric in Tanzania, a Silicon Valley based startup that produces, sells, distributes and services home solar systems in Africa, in January 2017, and have relished the experience thus far!
Visiting a customer to learn about her experience with her solar system & how it helped her daughter study longer, helped her work longer, helped provide her family with greater security & improved the health of her family, not to mention mitigated negative effects on the environment.
Week-long marketing event in a remote ward within the Mwanza region to support customers and obtain new customers. Half of this week was also spent launching a pilot in several wards in Mwanza.
Meeting in Dar es Salaam with new business partners who were excited to help market and sell solar products. I traveled to Dar many times to meet with new business partners.
Maasai tribe village
Maasai women. Many of our customers are from the Maasai tribe, local to the Arusha region.
Maasai school children
Field visit: new customer home installation. This customer purchased our largest system and will be paying his system off in monthly installments over the course of 3 years.
Field visit with our sales representatives.
Playing with a customer's friendly daughter while I speak with her mother about her experience using our home solar system.