Training and Capacity Building
2009, 3 Day Solar Water Pump Training
Green Empowerment organized a three-day course on solar water pumping at the Agronomy University in Managua. The training focused on systems sizing and procuring equipment locally. The course included two field studies at villages where AsoFénix/Green Empowerment installed pumps in 2005 and 2006 (Candelaria, Bramadero). Attendees included representatives from five non-profits in addition to Agronomy U. students from Mexico, France, Australia, Canada, and Nicaragua.
Village Residents Become Solar Technicians
Instead of simply installing renewable energy equipment, Green Empowerment's approach is to train the NGO (non-governmental organization) and the community to be technically skilled at design, installation, maintenance and repair of the renewable energy technology.
For the first solar water pump project in Candelaria, Green Empowerment led a training workshop in 2003 on solar pumping design and capabilities. After this training, AsoFénix performed feasibility studies and worked with the community to set up the management structure needed to run the project. Then, Green Empowerment returned to Nicaragua to train AsoFénix and the community during the actual installation of the solar water pump. We also assisted them on budgeting, proposal writing, and community issues throughout the project. Since that first successful installation, we have continued training exercises and connected Jaime Munoz, director of AsoFénix, with all of our training programs in Peru on small wind, water pumping, biogas, and RAM pumps, as well as trainings in Managua and Bluefields.
We believe that sufficient training and technical knowledge within the community and for our local partners underpins successful projects. At the end of each project, local people can understand, build, maintain and fix the system making it sustainable over the long-term.
