Tintinto Village
A typical day in Tintinto.
Gathering.
The best way the women of Tintinto village could tell me their story was to show me. A typical day starts with a journey to find firewood. Tintinto, similar to many Gambian villages, uses firewood as its main source of cooking fuel. The burning of firewood causes several health problems, and it causes 3.8 million deaths globally. Furthermore, the environmental effects are evident in this photo. There is a growing need for fuel, leading to deforestation.
The Journey Back.
After walking almost 1.5 miles to find firewood, the women of Tintinto have to walk back to their homes with the gathered wood on their heads. The whole journey covers almost 3 miles. This journey requires immense effort and strength.
Time.
In addition to the effort that goes into this process, the women of Tintinto spend a lot of time trying to gather firewood. This valuable time spent, reduces the time they can spend on other integral activities.
The Destination.
The work is far from over. Now that they have gathered the firewood, it is time to cook. This in itself is a struggle, as the firewood produces a lot of smoke. They are faced with the inevitable consequence of smoke inhalation.
Identifying The Needs
Lack of sustainable and sufficient energy brings with it various difficulties. In this video, the women of Tintinto tell us their day-to-day experience. Without access to sustainable energy, they have no option but to use firewood as fuel for cooking. These options bring with it various health and environmental problems. Also, the women of Tintinto go into detail, explaining the lack of transportation accessible to them.
Potential Solutions, and The Message of Hope
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Tintinto School
.
Tintinto School is the epicenter and most important part of the village. The school has the ability to change the lives of the people of Tintinto, and the rest of Gambia for generations to come. This can be achieved through energy access.
Energy Access Makes a Big Difference
Without Access.
For so many people, it is hard to imagine life without electricity. It is hard to imagine life without technology and gadgets. This is however, a reality for hundreds of millions of people. Without energy access, students will graduate with a disadvantage, as they will not have the necessary experience or skills, to cope in our digitized world.
With Access.
Energy access changes so much! Now, students in Tintinto school have a fighting chance. By the time they graduate, they will be familiar with technology, giving them the experience needed to pursue lucrative careers. Furthermore, the tools of innovation will now be at their disposal. These are the tools needed to further develop their community and the rest of the country.
Let there be light!
For the first time, Tintinto school now has access to electricity from the use of Solar PV. The school was founded in 2009 and has had to operate without any electricity. In addition to having lights, the library now can have computers for both students and teachers. This opens up so many possibilities for the school, and we anticipate an imminent transition towards digitized education.