100,000. It's a big number. But we've reached it. After two years of solar installations, we have brought light to over 100,000 African people.
It started in Nawampiti Medical Clinic. We drove for hours to get there, but when we arrived we found hundreds of people waiting. Our local manager has traveled there several times, teaching the doctor and staff what to expect, explaining to the people of Nawampiti what solar power is, and how it will serve their community. These people know that for the rest of their lives, they will have access to better medical care. They will have refrigerators to store lifesaving medicines and vaccines. They won't suffer needlessly from preventable diseases like Tuberculosis, Measles or Yellow Fever.
We danced with the crowds as our Ugandan and Israeli contractors put the final touches on our solar system. They were up on the roof as we all sang below. But we couldn't stay for long. We had one more installation to go:
Nabigwaali Medical Center, the final stop on our trip. Again, it was a long drive. Again, we were greeted by a huge crowd. This time we were met by the District Health Officer and local government officials. They all know what we are doing, they all want to be a part of it and they all know that these technologies are coming from Israel--a world leader in technological innovation.
Once more the contractors climbed up to the roof. Amit Rosner of SolarEdge, who flew from Israel just to install his cutting edge PowerBoxes on our projects, connected an Israeli sim card to the solar system, allowing us to receive a text message every minute updating us on the efficiency of the solar panel.
We were given traditional clothes as drummers played Ugandan rhythms. All that mattered was that we complete it by nightfall. Once the panels were installed, they would never be without light again.
And then it was finished. We flipped on a switch and it worked. It was just that simple--100,000.
They gave us a goat today. The farmers of the village gathered and presented us with the most valuable gift they could find. But words, dances, songs, speeches and even livestock were not enough to show how grateful, how happy all of us were.
Two years of work, and finally we saw light reflecting off the face of the 100,000th person whose life will be brighter thanks to solar energy.
This is just the beginning--just one big landmark on the road to many. We already have a list of 20 more projects that need solar energy. We have new initiatives to launch, new technologies to work with, new people to help.
Today we are exhausted. We will happily get on the plane to go home, hopefully sleeping most of the way. But tomorrow is when the real work begins.
You've been with us on our journey to 100,000, now join us on our journey to 100,000 more