GENI has exhibited at the Rotary International Conventions
for the past decade, sharing our initiative with thousands of committed people
from every continent. Dr. Tom Setter, a retired orthopedic surgeon visited us
repeatedly, speaking of his medical missions to Uganda and Kenya. His personal stories were both compelling and heart-wrenching — and he is a passionate
believer that electricity is key to ending poverty in Africa.
Dr. Setter related his experiences of rural African villages
having no electricity to his early childhood life on his family farm. Many
rural communities in America had no electricity in the 1930s and '40s — and life was hard. The
Rural Electrification Administration transformed everyday life on his farm, and
he believes it can do the same for Africa. Electricity enables refrigeration
of food and medicine, lighting to extend the day, pumping and filtering clean
water. As Tom says, "once
they got electricity, they'd
work their way out of poverty themselves."
The Economist comes to the same solution on the
recent article "The
Dark Continent." With
15% of world population, Africa produces just 4% of global electricity. Yet,
the continent is blessed with massive solar potential in the Sahara, hydro
potential from the Congo River, and geothermal reserves in the eastern Rift
Valley. While most of us take electricity for granted, only a few are so lucky
on the Dark Continent.
You'll
recall that the GENI Initiative was featured in the Green Earth issue of the
Rotarian Magazine, April 2007. Rotarians have been leading the charge to
eradicate polio on the planet — and when that's done, we
will propose Electricity for Peace and Ending Poverty. Please share
these stories with your own service clubs, business associates and family. Tom
Setter is an unsung hero, whose story could elevate a continent out of
poverty.
In partnership for the planet,
