Solar Giraffe – From the sky, the sun to Mangunze, energy

It is standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by the green tones of the trees, a landscape that is familiar to the species. And we immediately understand, from the structure, where the name comes from. We see the body, the long neck made of thick wood supporting a head slightly turned towards the sky, as if it could absorb all of the sun’s rays. It is where the panels are mounted. The structure uses photovoltaic solar energy to power a technical cabinet, as if it were a big yellow heart pumping energy to 10 mobile phone (re)charging sockets.

Solar Giraffe, a project that reaches the town of Mangunze, district of Chongoene, Gaza, by the hand of the Carlos Morgado Foundation and financed by the Irish Embassy, was inaugurated in 2020. In a town with more than 10,000 inhabitants where conventional energy took a while to reach, without claiming to be the light at the end of the tunnel, it was energy in the middle of the street. It is clean energy, which is renewed at every dawn, but which remains alive even after sunset. Dozens of cell phones are (re)charged daily. After all, the number of beneficiaries exceeds 3,000, reveals Father Juan Gabriel Arias from the Saint Benedict Mangunze Mission, in charge of managing the project. But there can always be more. “There are many people who, when passing by, also take the opportunity to (re)charge their cell phones” – Father Juan Gabriel Arias.

Clara Manuel Mimbire was doubly benefited by the project. More than (re)charging cell phones, the Solar Giraffe has become her workplace. She and another companion are in charge of cleaning and helping other users. Born in Macia, part of her life lived in Maputo, it was love that took her to Mangunze, in 2007. But she never got used to life without electricity. “Before the Solar Giraffe, it was a great suffering, life was very difficult,” she says.

More than a space for (re)charging mobile phones, it is also a space for encounters, community meetings, debates.

This is also why, even today, with some areas of Mangunze with conventional electrical connections in place, the Solar Giraffe continues to be a landmark. More than a space for (re)charging mobile phones, as Father and Clara tell us, it is also a space for encounters, community meetings, debates. And the radio, which is attached to it, sets the soundtrack to the football matches that take place on a field nearby. As long as the sun announces the day, in Mangunze, there will be energy and life. And that’s great.

Issue 72 Mar/Apr | Download.