By Chakriya Srey -- Fresh out of my freshman year at American University, I volunteered with blueEnergy in Bluefields, Nicaragua for one week in June. Unsure of what to expect, I traveled to Bluefields prepared to experience anything and everything. As I soon found out, my time with blueEnergy was much too short and left me with a lasting desire to return and continue volunteering with blueEnergy and help make a real difference in the isolated communities along the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua.
During the fleeting week that I spent with blueEnergy, I assisted in the installation of a 70-watt solar panel system to provide electricity at the house of a local family in the community of Rocky Point. Throughout the installation, Tyson, an 11-year old boy living in the home assisted the volunteers in installing the solar panel and lights. He also learned about the intricacies of wiring the house and how each system worked. To me, watching Tyson engage in the installation truly embodies blueEnergy's mission of building capacity in rural communities. Not only did Tyson walk away from the project with two lights for his home but with knowledge, understanding, and a new spark for true innovation and forward change. Tyson animatedly chatted with his father after the completion of the installation and excitedly explained how he used a drill for the first time and learned to cut wires. This further solidifies that blueEnergy projects have positive impacts on communities - whether it be with the young or old, big or small.
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| Tyson connecting the plug end of the extension |
My time in Bluefields with blueEnergy left a lasting impression on me. Through working with poor communities in Nicaragua, blueEnergy proves that global change is possible, through the simplest of ways, and that methods are meant to be tried and changed, evolving constantly, as no one model fits the whole. I hope to volunteer with blueEnergy again in the future, as they truly exemplify sustainable development through their work in Nicaragua.
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| Chakriya with the panels under the house |
Photo credits -- Johnny Lee
Sounds like a great experience!
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