The Impact of Solar Lighting

Since 2013, our flagship campus in Kitongo has used the power of the sun to generate power. We started with our water pump, which had previously been powered by a generator and cost thousands each year. Our campus has grown since we first introduced solar power, and with that growth, came a higher need for electricity. 

Last year, Brunswick School out of Greenwich, Connecticut helped raise over $11,000 for JBFC's solar power infrastructure. Thanks to the students, parents, and teachers at Brunswick, not only has JBFC increased the amount of electricity to our Secondary School, Administration Building, Primary School Computer Lab and Office, Papa's Cafe, and all guest housing, but individual lighting systems have also been added to each dorm and the dining hall. This means that our residential girls and matrons can study later and have the much needed safety of light in the evening and nighttime hours.

Below are quotes from some of our staff about how this change has impacted their lives and work on campus.

Mr. Samo, Dean of Students: "It gives them [the residential girls] consistent light to study, without having to worry about power cuts."

Felista, JBFC Social Worker: "It will help them to get more time to study at night. If there's any social event, now they will be able to do it. It can also help the matrons to wake up earlier for doing their different duties."

Boniface, Campus Registrar: "They use the dining hall to study so the solar power will help them to keep studying in the dark hours. Also, it will enable the girls to get light during supper, improving social life."

Mr. Fred, Head of Joseph and Mary Primary School and 7th Grade Teacher: "We always give them homework. They have also to study and now they have the chance not only to do it but to choose when they feel better to do it, at night or early in the morning. Also, it will help the matrons to charge their phones. During entertainment hours now they can put music on, dance, practice choir, etc. so it will also help to refresh their minds."

Mr. Kidapanda, Head of Joseph and Mary Secondary School: "This enables them to concentrate in their studies, especially at night. It gives them the proper environment for their studies."

Vero, JBFC Residential Girl and 2016 Graduate: "It helps us to study and to do other activities like clubs!"

On behalf of all our girls, students, and staff in Tanzania, THANK YOU to the entire Brunswick community and all of our supporters who have enabled JBFC to "Go Solar" since 2013. You are not only helping us to be more eco-friendly at our campus, but you are enabling us to have 24/7 electricity without the worry of high fuel costs, ultimately helping with JBFC's self-sustainability goals!

JBFC Goes Solar

JBFC is located in an idyllic rural village in Tanzania, called Kitongo. Set on the picturesque shore of Lake Victoria, we’re about 45 kilometers away from Mwanza, Tanzania’s second largest city.

 While we’re insulated from the pollution, traffic, and the other challenges of an emerging developing world city, we’re also isolated from some modern conveniences.

JBFC is off the grid. No power lines stretch far enough to reach us. And for a long time, that meant the moonlit, otherwise tranquil nights on JBFC’s campus were punctuated with the rumbling sound of our diesel generator. It was the only way to provide us with a couple of hours of power every night.



The diesel generator wasn’t just loud, it was expensive to run and maintain. JBFC was spending between $1,600 and $1,800 a month on diesel fuel. That’s almost $20,000 a year, which is almost what it costs for JBFC to house and educate our 44 residential girls. It was a huge expense that didn’t always pay off, because the generator often broke down, requiring expensive repairs.


In 2014, JBFC set out to wean itself off of diesel and harness the power of the brilliant Tanzanian sunshine. Thanks to a very generous donation from one of our long-term friends and supporters, JBFC’s entire campus made the transition to solar power.

Thanks to some generous donors in California, JBFC had already invested in a couple of solar freezers and saw firsthand what a difference they can make on campus. Powered by the sun, the freezers enabled us to stretch our food supply, holding dozens of pounds of meat. Now we were determined to put solar technology to work in other areas of campus.

In January, we started outfitting each of our buildings on campus with its own solar panel system. We’ve invested in two dozen solar panels for our buildings. It took a few months of tweaking and calculating energy needs for each building on campus, but they now have 24-7 electricity with minimal maintenance costs!


With lights taken care of, JBFC was able to tackle another major expense our diesel water pump. We have now replaced it with a large solar water pump. We’re now pumping 52,000 liters of water every day. That’s enough for our entire campus and to help out our neighbors. We provide thousands of liters of water to two different sites in the village.



We couldn’t have done it without our generous donors. By cutting our fuel costs, we are saving thousands of dollars every month. And that means more of your donation dollars are going to help lift Tanzanian children out of poverty.








Blogger Chris Gates is JBFC's Founder & Executive Director.