Community saves up and join hands to sustain development project

The thirty households in the village of Barangay Lanawan in Sumisip, Basilan lighted up by the AMORE program were only too happy to take care of the renewable energy systems that are giving them light. But like in most remote and poor areas, money is hard to come by for the residents of this remote community. They encountered difficulty paying for the fees in lump sum every time they charge their batteries. AMORE encouraged them to sustain their systems by saying that instead of buying a five-peso candle which they use for just two hours, it is better to use and pay for solar-powered lights since they are brighter and can use them well into the night. The community then devised a five-peso-a-day payment scheme which they put in a piggy bank-like container by their battery charging station. With this scheme, the BRECDAs are able to contribute to their operations and maintenance fund easily and regularly. The BRECDA is now looking forward to that time that from their own fund, they will be able to buy their own system and extend the electric service to the rest of the community.