July 14, 2005
Leaving Banco after completing two successful installations with the villagers
When I left Mali I realized that with less than $6,000 that I managed to raise, we completed the following: 1) The development of a local enterprise manufacturing solar panels and cookers locally 2) The completion of 7 locally constructed panels 3) The installation of two of the locally made panels in Banco that powered 6 lights and a solar pump and 4) The construction of 6 solar cookers. We could not help but be proud that such a small amount of money involved in this project is in stark contrast to the hundreds of thousands of dollars that characterize most development projects.