| Why Renewable
|- Provide electricity and clean drinking water
to families in need.
|- Reduce costs compared to conventional
|- Reduce environ- mental impacts in ways
for local cultures.
|Four Renewable Technologies
|To read more about the technologies used
in this project.
collaborative project to benefit rural Mexican communities
Roughly a third of the
world's population lack access to electricity and clean water, and are
not likely to get these basic necessities through conventional
technologies which are often inappropriate for their living situations.
funded by private
donations, is a collaborative effort with several rural Mexican
communities and dedicated professionals at the Mexican Foundation for
Rural Development, to provide renewable energy technologies to rural
families in the north of Mexico who make less than $5 per day.
Donations are used to directly subsidize
the purchase of solar
electricity for homes and solar ovens for efficient cooking.
Solar Mexico has subsidized the purchase of 35 household solar
electric systems, providing clean electricity and light for 35
families. We have also organized rural demonstrations of solar
ovens and subsidized the purchase of many ovens for needy families.
will buy a family clean,
environmentally friendly energy for the
30 years. Each family will contribute 20% of the cost.
Mexico has teamed up with Engineers Without Borders at the
University of North Carolina, bringing new energy to our projects, and
making education an important goal for Solar Mexico
for your support of this project. ~ Jason West
community in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
is a rural community typical of the communities we support. With
50 residents, it is located two hours from the nearest city and far
electric grid. The community is hardworking and self-sufficient, but
earns very little money from the sale of goats and goat cheese.
addition to lacking electricity, residents of Lavaderos face problems
with the availability of water, and the erosion of the desert
environment as they gather wood for their major source of energy.
are the only real source of income in Lavaderos. Altogether each
family earns less than $5 per day
Mexican Foundation for Rural Development
|FMDR is a nonprofit organization, created
and sustained by private initiative. It has more than 40 years of
experience improving the lives of rural low-income Mexicans.
Through projects to support development, education, health and energy,
FMDR improved the well being of more than 22,000 families and over 1200
rural cooperatives in 2001.
More information is available at www.fmdr.org.mx
With the Foundation's help, we ask
the local families for 20% of the renewable technologies that we
subsidize - this will stretch resources to help more families and
provide a sense of ownership so the technologies are well cared for.