As a Solar Sister Entrepreneur, Julieth Mollel regularly walks around 20 kilometers selling clean cookstoves and solar lanterns. She sells solar lanterns and cookstoves at her local market as well. She has built up a good clientele in her community and is well known.
Julieth has not had an easy life. She has toiled all of her life farming, selling crops, and keeping the house for her husband and children. Breathing in the toxic smoke from cooking over an open fire, continually looking for and gathering firewood, and using kerosene lamps at night were wearing her down physically.
“Before I came to Solar Sister, I was always exhausted from looking for and gathering wood. I had to find a huge bundle to bring home, and lifting it to my head was difficult. Often the bundle would only last for a day. The next day, I’d go again to gather another bundle. So I was very tired.”
Today, her chest no longer hurts, and she feels better not breathing in the fumes from cooking. While she still supplements her income by selling crops, she has a little saving put aside from her Solar Sister sales.
“Since using the Solar Sister cookstoves, life has become easier because there is no more smoke. I don’t have to spend much time gathering wood or finding charcoal. I now have time to rest.”
Julieth is helping to support her grandchildren to go to school. Her granddaughter Ritha would like to have a career in science or become a surgeon. Ritha is proud of her grandmother because she is helping the family. Because of her, as Ritha told us, she will have success in her life.
Julieth says it feels good to be recognized in her community.
“Since I became a Solar Sister Entrepreneur, I have become a very famous person in my community. A lot of people have seen me as the liberator of the community. I have a great relationship with my customers, and they advertise for me, even if I am not there!”
“Solar Sister is a progressive thing for women. A lot of women want to do something. Women also gave me courage. So I said, why not me?
Captions: Julieth carries firewood to start dinner in her clean cookstove. She will only use a few sticks to cook the dinner. Julieth making dinner on her clean rocket stove. Julieth with her granddaughter, Ritha. Julieth sells her solar lanters and clean cookstoves in teh market near her community. Julieth walks with one of her customers and neighbor, Agness Daudi. Photographs were produced in partnership with Ripple Effect Images.
