Interview btwn Technician and Amina (homeowner)-

You take the remote control You take your remote and press here on this red button, and the TV will come on Um, we should call my grandson. To show me is... No, it's ok let's try Here your TV is on now, and after we choose what we want to watch We press here to select So we press and it takes us here We then choose what we want to watch by using the arrows for up/down and either side This helps you select When you're finished, you press this one in the middle Then, the volume control is here Where? Here Here? Yes, here. This is the one to reduce the volume, and this one increases it So here I am reducing the volume If I want it to be louder? If you want it to be louder then you press here. This one here? Yes, you press it like this Then you get a full screen Then that's it, we're done! So if I want to choose something else? If you want to choose something else you go back again You go back by pressing STOP here, so you stop the show And then you press here, for the menu So when you press the up and down arrows like this It shows you what options you have to choose from If that's the one you want, to choose it you press here And then, to make it full screen you press here Then you're done If you want to turn it off, You stop the show, and then you press here again, the button to turn it on and off Oh ok, so you stop it here first and then you turn it off Yeah so you turn it on and off like this Ok, thank you And this is your radio We turn it on here So this is the station that you're listening to To turn the volume up and down, this is to reduce the volume, and this is to increase it If you want to change stations, you press here, or here It also has a place to connect a flash drive if you want to listen to music Right here? Yes And, there's a place to charge it The place you charge it is here, on the side by using that wire of yours Also, let's go to the unit This is the wire you use to charge your radio, so to charge it use this This is what you use to charge your radio If you're not charging though, you can just unplug it Yes, if you want to charge it, you press here But you have to turn your radio off first This red light shows you that it's charging It's lit up here? Yes When it is green, it means it is fully charged So when you're done you just unplug it Plug it in so it can go ahead and charge So it charges up? Yes So you can just put it here, roll it up and keep it here. I'll put it here like this So after this I'll show you how to turn on the lights Yes, that's right, please show me These numbers one, two, three means that you have five lights So this is your first light, which is that one over there that's on The second light is outside, I think The third... is this one, I'm turning it on there So here we turn it on, this is for low light And this is for bright light That's it. And this one I think they've installed it so that at night it turns on by itself Yes, over there it turns itself on Yeah ok, so it's just that Let me turn them all off So to turn them off, you press here twice Ok So do you know how to check your balance? It shows you I don't know how to do it, but the girls do To add credit, if you press here Wait so, what if on some days I don't have any and I get ten thousand in between, am I able to put it on? There you could be topping up, like today, you put it into your account If it's two thousand, however many thousand, you save it Until the end of the month arrives, When I have my thirty? You'll find you've kept a little bit of money to top up. And here it shows you have eighteen days left Right now right? Yes How you turn the lights on We turn it on, this is the low light, bright light The second one here is the same Go ahead and try turn it on yourself, the third one here The fourth one was this one here, And this one I'm busy here, take it to Zai And this one is the one that's for the bedroom The brighter setting That's it To check the balance on your unit, There you've turned off the lights. If you want to check your balance, you can press the hash or any of the buttons And it shows you, here it's showing you the meter number This is the number of your unit If you press here, Star It shows you how many days you have left And this right now is showing you that you unit is charging You can turn this one on I can turn this one on? Yes Done, it's on the bright setting there It's brought me light, It's made it possible that my grandkids don't struggle so much Even if I'm living in a house built of sticks I said to myself 'let me try hard for them so that it's not as difficult' Because darkness, sometimes someone comes in the dark and there's nothing And still, they say that electricity is coming but we don't see electricity So that attracted me immensely, because now I'm happy that I've managed to get lights and electricity like normal And what were you maybe using before? I was using oil lamps And was that affecting that children somehow, maybe... Sometimes they weren't studying, like when my grandchildren came Or it was getting them sick maybe? I never saw that they were getting sick, but they were struggling when they came over, they weren't able sometimes, there was no kerosene, I didn't have money, and they weren't able to study But these days, when school is open, they stay, they sleep here. They study until they get sleepy Until they get tired! And it makes me very happy I would ask that they give another, that they give maybe this power so that it helps us to build even one room and we can pay back slowly Because we're tired of slapping mud [on the walls] because I don't have any sons, I'm struggling on my own with my grandchildren here If they were able to help with with building one room Say, 'We'll help you with one room and you pay, maybe in small amounts at a time" Then I'll pay We would go charge over there And you pay for this? Yes. I was using kerosene lamps, I would buy kerosene and use it in the lamps And charging phones? And phones at the stores way over there On the road? Yes, on the road with the electricity there Yeah that's what I was using Water was a problem? And the lamps also, sometimes they were a problem when they were studying, they would go out. Sometimes they'd be like 'Mom. I have a cough, grandma' And they stop. They'd say they'll keep going in the morning But these days they study until they're done by themselves here These days they study until they sleep on their own in their beds It's a lot of money. It's a lot of money. Like now, I'd give one thousand Including charging your phone? Including charging my phone, I'd pay maybe three hundred, maybe in one day I'd pay maybe ...in one day if I really don't have money I'd pay five hundred I buy for the lamps. So if you pay five hundred for the lamps, you light them in the evening, and the next day again when you need them, your told 'Grandma there's not enough kerosene' You tell them here, take this and get some more You find that you've used maybe two thousand in a day So then you find that other times, you don't have enough. Just for cooking. So we cook early, in the kitchen outside. We'd sit, and we'd eat early and go to bed before seven Now we don't go to bed sometimes until midnight, or 1am. Then we sleep. Now I don't sleep until midnight sometimes I lay here and I watch, by the time I get sleepy it's already turned itself off! This, M-Power, has helped me a lot I mean, so much....so much that even my neighbors, until 11pm...10pm, they're here. It's helped me so much that they're happy, and so I'm very happy too It's helped me very much Maybe if I don't have money for credit, but if I have money... I'm completely at ease Even with my grandchildren, I'm completely at ease They've helped me. Some people say 'I'm not sure' but me, it has helped me Because now, the Government electricity, if it's this year or next, it won't get here We're out here in the villages, who will see us? So I have to be thankful I mean, everyone is thankful right now Everyone is thankful for M-Power So now it means that you'll have to design a new path You look at us who don't have anything and say 'Ma'am, let us build you one room and you can pay it back monthly. Yes, ok?' Right now, me, right now, if there's money on the unit, then I use it at whichever time If it's 8pm, I cook...if it's 9pm, I cook If I decide to sleep at 1am, I sleep Because my grandchildren don't have any problems, and neither do I I mean there's light...maybe not if there's big rain storms but even then if there's big rain storms, the light is still on like this one If it's on like this, then this one over here doesn't work yeah, it doesn't power it But when it's hot, then it works all the time So for you, before you weren't able to cook? Yes now I just cook, I just cook and serve it And what work were you doing maybe? Do you farm and maybe you get home late to cook? Yes, I mean sometimes I get back late... but since we've had the unit the farming season hasn't begun But now even if I'm late, I turn on M-power and put my stove here, and I cook and my children eat I've been able to make progress, I've been able to make progress for my grandchildren just with their studies I've made progress. They do well at school now? Right now at school when they go, they come back, and once they've eaten, they bend over [to study] It used to be they'd eat, then struggle with the lamps and they'd sleep But now I've made progress here Yes, I truly have. Because they don't have difficulties studying When it gets to 7pm and they've eaten or 8pm even, They get up here with their books They study...until they're overcome with tiredness So I've managed to make progress now, absolutely, when it comes to lights So now we'd like you to come up with other ways to help, like look at these mud walls Help us. Find another way to help us. Because, if you find another way it's like, 'oh, this lady has no means' 'we'll help you build two more rooms and you'll pay every year' That's it... M-Power...my goodness. If you sign up for M-Power and they build for you too, there will be so many people it'll be like this 'they'll build for you'...there would be so many people and then you pay each year or each month Until the day that the loan is finished, and you'd hand over my keys No, I don't invest I struggle, struggle...I save, I save What do you struggle with maybe? I sell things, I have some small ventures I also am part of a savings group...I contribute there If I find I have nothing at all, I go and borrow some from the group...I ask 'please give me even fifty thousand,' I borrow it. I take thirty thousand...and, I live well with my grandchildren I know that since it's thirty days until it's finished, I'll have found [the money] by then Oh, ok. This work you do, what is it exactly? Mostly, the business I do here is to bring firewood I bring firewood by tractor I sell it, and charcoal as well I bring charcoal, I sell it So, mostly we rely on the rain. When it rains, then we get customers We get customers, and that's it And one of my children is working hard over in Njera, he works for someone He sends to me, he sends and that's why I can pay here That's why you find I don't really struggle so much M-Power? No...the only business I do is firewood is brought to me by tractor I mean, maybe because you have lights now, more people come to buy from you? Yes, at night right? Yes I take it out and sell to them with the lights, even if it's raining If they come here they buy from me And right now it's really helping me, because sometimes there's no power for three days, people bring things to me to charge I can get in a day sometimes [five] thousand They ask me a lot My neighbors want it too, but they say that their plans aren't there yet but many of them want it, a lot of them want it badly They say to me 'these days you don't struggle anymore' But, they say 'it's so much money that you pay, though' I say, 'you know it's not a lot of money that you pay' For me I use, just one thousand per day Now, you add one thousand per day, you put one thousand per day, at the end of the month it's thirty thousand You've bought, and you haven't had any problems So yes, a lot of people want it And now, if you would have come and it wasn't Monday Schools are open on Monday, you'd have found it packed here They watch here The neighbors want it very much They say 'we still don't have any stable business, when we do we'll join' They want it very much, but things are really hard But they know that it's not necessary to take the units with a TV right? There's other options that are less expensive And they've bought those a lot! How come many people here have those? They want the ones with a TV? Yes now they want the units with a TV This whole area here, people have them but only the ones for light But now they want the ones with a TV Because they ask me 'How much are you paying?' I tell them 'I put one thousand per day' Every day, I keep one thousand Every day I keep it like this Every day, I put the thousand on When it gets to the day to pay, I get my electricity and I relax with my grandchildren. I don't want to worry So it's not that I have to start looking for money, and get it If you just put one thousand aside per day, it's enough You cook, and if there's business I'll do it, I'll sell at night I sell at eight, or nine Someone comes and maybe they're out of charcoal 'I need some charcoal' I weigh it for them outside there You see? And now, Mostly, the light here in the village If I have lights like this If there's a bad person who wanted to come or a thief, they can't come in the door when there's light They leave here and go somewhere else Because they can be recognized? Even if they left a bowl out here there's no-one who would dare take it, because it's open and lit, because they know, if I take this, someone will see me They'll see me. Yes, they'll see me. That's helped me a lot Now, right now truly around here with my neighbors they have the units with lights If you put it outside, where before there didn't used to be any The theives would break into people's houses You'd come, and see a door like this can just be pushed open You'd find that stuff is gone, someone broke in But now, no-one comes because there's lights When it gets dark it's like being in the city here! Even a house built from mud like this you'll find a light shining There's no thieves, there's no-one who comes in because they think 'If I go in here, the person over there will see' So it doesn't happen, they don't break in I mean, that's a big benefit that M-Power has brought More than [Government] electricity, they bring it and only rich people get it but now, M-Power sees the poor everywhere Out in the bush... we are so grateful In the past there was nothing like this Who will help you get electricity right now? To bring grid electricity, you'll be told up to three hundred thousand The electrical poles are right here, but you're told three hundred thousand to get it Would you get it? You have no money... I mean we are so grateful of you So we are grateful, and they should find more...more ways to help us In short, it helped me with security, and helping me to be happy by having light You see, even if I come from there, my grandchildren have them on and they're not afraid, you see? If they're late cooking, they cook here I mean, I'm just so grateful And its everyone, not just me This house has light, that one over there has light All of them, they have light Yes all from M-Power Like this one here is M-Power, that lady who was there has M-Power If you go this way, you'll find all of them over there use M-Power In the evening, there's light because people put them at their door I mean, everyone, everyone is very, very happy Because in the bush you visit eachother I mean, you shouldn't let go of this approach You have helped us immensely For the Government to get here...where will we find the millions So now some final words Right now, people running milling machines some of them are asking 'so couldn't they bring an M-Power mill?' Because when the power cuts all the time, we'll be able to mill with M-Power. You see what I mean? Shouldn't they bring a unit that could power a mill? I mean it would make everyone rich because when the power cuts, when the power cuts you still take your maize and it gets milled for you But right now when the power cuts, there's nothing! You can wait for 3 or 4 days and you haven't eaten So they should also consider creating that option too WIth that they'd make a lot too! When I'm here, when I turn on my radio my grandkids are watching TV Yeah, they watch the TV They go and put on shows from outside You know I can't read, see So they watch and I struggle with the radio For me, when the radio is on I listen to things from outside and about all kinds of things It makes me happy. And religious talks too? Yes! Religion I want also So what if we buy that thing you call 'ungo' If I buy ungo it is also nice right? We just go slowly Yes we'll go slowly ma'am Also we're just so thankful Continue designing other things Right now people say 'truly, myself...' I mean like the other day I went over to the shops and there wasn't any electricity Truly some of the shop owners there were saying 'shouldn't M-Power also bring a machine that runs on M-Power so we can stop suffering?' Because we're abused a lot here Sometimes the power is out for up to 4 days! So many days that the maize is piled up from here to there, it's this high And nothing's being milled Of course, a lot And how many people were you selling to each day before you had M-Power? Nobody would come until the afternoon In the past before I had M-Power, people would only come in the afternoon or evening They wouldn't come because they might get raped on the way. They might risk getting raped, they wouldn't come But now, people come from the shops if there's no charcoal there They walk and when they get to the lights, there's light all the way until they get here So you were selling to about how many people per day? Well, sometimes like, on the days when... ...when it rains, I'd sell! I'd sell To how many people? More than 10? I wouldn't count, but I'd find that I have one hundred thousand in here When the evening comes, around 6pm, after I've done my prayers after I've eaten, I turn it on and I look for the news, I hear how the world is going I put it right here, sometimes I'm lying down and I put it here I listen to everything, and that makes me happy And my grandchildren are happy watching the TV And when they get tired of watching they take their books and study And I ask myself what else could the Lord give me? I say 'Lord what else could you give me?' Because...because people like us, since when I was born to now this is the first time that I've had this Lights, inside I have never said lies about me having lights or something I haven't had them Nor have I ever known what it is to have lights I feel like I have electricity I mean I have never lied about it, lies are wrong This system I like very much I like it very much and I am very happy You've already taken us out of darkness, out of poverty, when people see me they say 'you're not poor' Because you have lights? Yes! You've already brought us out, we're not there anymore I'd ask that everyone brings themselves ahead with M-Power And here in Makuyuni, everyone is taking themselves forwards I am so thankful, and I ask that they look for more ways to help people like us They should help us with the milling machines because we're tired of struggling with hunger Ok, ok well thank you very much. We appreciate it And we're happy that you're a customer of M-Power Where was this? This is Makuyuni village, So I'll start by asking you your name where you live, and that's it Ma'am, welcome to M-Power What is your name? My name is Amina Salim Omari And what is the name of the place you live? This place is called Makuyuni town Makuyuni town? Yes Arusha, Yes Arusha Tanzania, Yes, Tanzania And the name I'm known by is 'Grandma Zai' [Tech] Grandma Zai Oh because of your grandchildren? Yes because of the grandchildren Even at the road if you ask for Bibi Zai you'll be brought here Ok we really appreciate it, I'm happy to meet you Right now we've got lights, please keep going and continue to help us Don't let this system die I mean even the fools are getting it Thank you very much