Power OffGrid

#MondayMotivation I want to share a philanthropy project in Mahaday Weyne, Middle Shabelle—one of the few districts still held by Macawiisley against Al-Shabaab. Macawiisley families displaced by Al-Shabaab lost U.S. aid due to Somali government corruption, not because of security failures on the ground. When aid stopped, I was honest: no aid is coming back. So we chose self-reliance. Families sold part of their goats, invested locally, and I matched 150%. We installed a 3k solar irrigation pump. Today they farm, earn, and eat-no aid dependency. Al-Shabaab opposes education and development because both lead to prosperity and self-reliance, destroying ignorance-their recruitment fuel. I started this model in 2017 against failed NGO aid. It’s called @PowerOffGrid with #Goat4kWh. That’s why I wrote Al-Shabaab Mafia Inc. #InvestNotAid

@JikoBioGas is a clean energy project I started in Jowhar, Somalia 5 years ago. It converts animal waste into clean cooking fuel and fertilizer. The project aims to help displaced women in Jowhar Hirshabelle by eliminating the need to gather firewood, reducing their risk of sexual violence and respotory diseases. The project also creates job opportunities through selling the fertilizers produced. While the project is expensive, I hope that smart NGOs will invest in these tangible projects. We have similar project in Mogadishu area.

#photooftheday Two farmers in Lower Shabelle, Somalia, staring at their old diesel irrigation pump that was replaced with solar pump. The two farmers saved 85% of their monthly fuel cost. #Cleanenergy is the new saving bank for small farmers in #Africa @PowerOffGrid @cnbcafrica

Lower Shabelle farmers investing #solar irrigation well pumps as insurance against food insecurity and #climatechange to irrigate their farms during droughts (when Shabelle river is dry 6 months). @PowerOffGrid & partners installed 27 kW solar pump. #ClimateAction in Somalia.

Before the #Ukraine war, it was difficult to convince farmers in Shabelle River to invest solar pumps to eliminate fuel costs. In 2023, the demand for farmers investing #CleanEnergy is so high that @PowerOffGrid is partnering w/ solar techs. I see #greentech jobs boom in Somalia.

@PowerOffGrid is remerging and coming back to its roots -Em(powering) offgrid communities in Somalia😍