NICARAGUA: SOLAR WOMEN OF TOTOGALPA WIN SEED AWARD

UNCLAS MANAGUA 001354 SIPDIS STATE/OES/ENV PASS TO USAID/EGAT JUAN BELT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV EAID ECON KSCA NU SUBJECT: NICARAGUA: SOLAR WOMEN OF TOTOGALPA WIN SEED AWARD ¶1. (U) Summary: A Nicaraguan project to launch a cooperative business producing and marketing products such as solar cookers and photovoltaic panels made from recycled solar panels was one of five winning projects worldwide in the 2008 Supporting Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (SEED) competition. Nicaragua,s project focuses on the work of the &Solar Women of Totogalpa,8 a women,s cooperative from rural northwest Nicaragua attempting to transform its community through a self-sustaining, community-based business. The SEED Initiative is a global network founded in 2002 to contribute toward the goals of the UN,s Millennium Declaration and the commitments made at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Nicaraguan project, &Lighting Up Hope and Communities,8 was chosen from among 400 applications representing 100 countries. End Summary. -------------- THE SOLAR WOMEN OF TOTOGALPA -------------- ¶2. (U) Solar Women of Totogalpa (Mujeres Solares de Totogalpa) is a group of rural women from a small community in northwest Nicaragua who have worked in partnership with the National Engineering University,s Program for Alternative Energy Sources (PFAE) since 1999 to promote renewable resource technologies and practices. With its project, &Lighting Up Hope and Communities,8 the partnership has set up a cooperative enterprise producing photovoltaic panels from recycled solar cells, solar cookers and dryers, and solar cooked or dried food and medicinal plants. The enterprise began with used or damaged solar cells purchased at a discount from Skyheat Associates, a U.S. source of solar materials and expertise, coupled with training and assistance provided by SUNI Solar, a local Nicaraguan enterprise based at the Engineering University. The project also has benefited from technical exchanges with students and faculty from the University of Dayton (Ohio). From these beginnings, Solar Women learned how to trim used or damaged solar cells to produce new, recycled cells that can be installed in solar cookers and food dryers. Solar Women also manufacture adobe bricks, which the group used to construct a solar building to house the &Lighting Up Hope and Communities8 enterprise and sell to the public. ¶3. (U) The SEED Award will allow the &Lighting Up Hope and Communities8 enterprise to increase production, become self-sufficient, and expand support to other community development projects. The $25,000 one-year SEED Award is specifically designed to assist each partnership to attain sustainability, primarily through paying for technical and legal assistance. Within five years, &Lighting Up Hope and Communities8 expects to be self-sufficient. -------------- THE SEED INITIATIVE -------------- ¶4. The SEED Initiative was founded in 2002, following commitments made at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),the UN Development Program (UNDP),and the UN Environment Program (UNEP). Partners in the initiative include the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Spain. It seeks to identify and support promising local enterprises working in partnership to improve livelihoods, fight poverty and manage natural resources sustainably in developing countries. ¶5. (U) The Department of State is a partner in the SEED Initiative through the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science. Following a 2006 commitment from the U.S. of $100,000 for the 2006-2008 cycle, the SEED Initiative increased its request for support from major donors from $100,000 to $200,000 annually. The United States continues to seek additional support for the initiative on an annual basis. Embassy Managua Public Affairs Section will assist the Nicaraguan project in building a network of useful contacts. Additional information about the SEED Initiative may be found at the following website: http://seedinit.org. CALLAHAN