Last September and October, electricity was installed in various social buildings (mainly hospitals and schools) in the Mutwanga urban area, situated in Northern Kivu, in the heart of the Virunga National Park.  The installation was realised with the help of Energy Assistance.
The requestor, the “Virunga Foundation”, is strongly involved in the Park management by means of securing the safety of the Park Rangers who fight poaching and deforestation.

Thanks to EA volunteer, the electric installation for the hospital and 4 schools was designed and described in detail. Once the material had been ordered, it was shipped out to Kivu via the Republic of Uganda.
Due to the unstable situation in the Mutwanga area, the technical teams of the Virunga Foundation had to rely upon their own resources to undertake the installation. Luckily they had the support of our volunteer, who was in regular contact with them, and coached them to accomplish their mission successfully.  This to great satisfaction of the beneficiaries and the local population.

Volunteer :Jacques Tilquin (ENGIE Cofely)
Project Leader : José Jacquemart (ENGIE Tractebel)

 

Read More

Last September, Energy Assistance has sent two volunteers to the village of Samba in de Maniema Province in DR Congo. Our specialists volunteered there for ten days to provide solar power to the village. They installed photovoltaic panels at the village health center that houses a maternity and a small laboratory.
With the help of three local technicians, the volunteers installed 4.5 kW of photovoltaic panels. They also trained these local technicians so they can provide the maintenance. Serge : “The mission was very rewarding as we witnessed the first ultrasound being performed, something that was not possible before. Energy Assistance not only brought electricity to the health center and its neighboring villages, but also lets us keep both our feet on the ground and lets us experience this unique inspiring moment”.

Volunteers : Serge Algoet and Vincent Michiels (Sibelga)
Project Leader : Luc Hermant (ENGIE Electrabel)

Read More

Energy Assistance asbl-vzw and ENGIE Asia Pacific worked together to renovate the electrical installation of a school that welcomes visually impaired children in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

This project was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of two Energy Assistance volunteers and a team of local volunteers.  Oyungerel Tseren (ENGIE Mongolia), who ensured the coordination of the project in Ulaanbaatar,  has also contributed to the success of this project.
The renovation was urgent, as the school set up in 1964 regularly faced power cuts, failures and other issues due to lack of funding and maintenance. Children and school staff also faced security risks because of the poor electrical installation.

Besides the main switchboard, the volunteers also replaced distribution boards on each of the three school floors. Afterwards, they renovated the electrical wiring of the attic where the district installation is. In Ulaanbaatar, outdoor temperatures often drop below 40°C in the winter. It is thus important to be able to monitor and check the heating system regularly.
Finally, the team participated in the revamping of the school showers.

The financing of the project was for the major part covered by the Energy Assistance 2015 greeting cards’ sales. This operation wouldn’t have been possible without the help of volunteers and the support of Tractebel Engineering.

Volunteers : Etienne Decamps (ENGIE Electrabel), Jack Sunaet (ENGIE Asia-Pacific)
Project Leader : Miklos Almasy (ENGIE Africa)

 

Read More

ACOPAMEC, a Brazilian NGO, aims at reducing poverty of the Mata Escura communities in Salvador de Bahia. It manages among others a secondary school and a professional training centre.

ACOPAMEC has requested Energy Assistance expertise for the electrification of its training centre.
With the help of Brazilian volunteers, Energy Assistance has among others:

-designed a renewed electrical circuit included a new high tension station,
-purchased with ACOPAMEC the necessary electrical and technical equipment,
-helped the Brazilian NGO with the selection of a local supplier and with the acceptance of the installed equipment,
-given a training to ACOPAMEC qualified persons for the future running and maintenance of the installed systems.

With this Energy Assistance realization, around a thousand young people per year pursue their education with better chance to find a job in the future.

Volunteers :Danilo Pereira de Castro (Leme Engenharia Brazil),Ítalo Augusto Vasconcelos David (Leme Engenharia Brazil)
Project Leader :Maurice Roch (retired ENGIE Tractebel)

Read More

Last March, three Energy Assistance volunteers took the road to the Bas-Congo in DRC in order to carry out several missions that were not always easy. The volunteeers provided their expertise in electrical grid construction and management to the locals.

The volunteer’s first stop was in Lukula where they worked hand in hand with the teams of SNEL (National Democratic Republic of Congo’s power utility). They took part in the extension of the local overhead network and to the construction of a 30 kV transformer substation, allowing the connection of a health center to the grid.
They then headed to Kivuvu where they repaired a cabinet supplying a hospital specialized in the fight against leprosy and tuberculosis : “We have replaced the transformer and the general low voltage board, and have upgraded the landings and surge protectors to protect the facilities” explains Dominique. “Before our intervention, this cabinet underwent frequent failures and the hospital often had to wait several weeks for repairs”f.

Last leg of their journey : Tumba.The volunteers provided transport and supply of two transformers to allow the powering of a school and of the village residents. This will enable the construction of a 15 kV overhead line in the near future.

Volunteers : Dominique Keser and Georges Echement (ORES), Marcel Bavay (retired ORES)
Project Leader : Roland Rosseel

Read More