Meet Our Newest Partner: Caritas Livingstone

Caritas Livingstone is a humanitarian and social development program through the Catholic Church in Livingstone, Zambia. Their vision, “A Zambian Society where every person attains integral human development and lives in harmony”. For the installation of solar kiosks in the Libala community, Kilowatts for Humanity (KWH) and Caritas Livingstone have partnered together to make it possible.

Both Bryson Simalimbu and Monica Choolwe Himwiita developed a love and passion for humanitarian aid through work they did previously, before joining Caritas Livingstone. Monica said that from the moment she joined volunteer groups in high school, she knew she wanted to continue humanitarian aid.

Bryson and Monica both got involved with KWH through their work with Caritas. Bryson is a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer, and Monica is a Project Officer. They explained their day-to-day work and how this work has rewarded them. Bryson explained, “In a nutshell, it deals with the tracking and progress of project implementation”. Monica added, “You engage yourself with the beneficiaries. Develop a plan”.

The two work together on the implementation of community energy hubs in the Libala community. Monica shared the moment she went to the Cheeba hub, “The people are very, very accommodating. They show appreciation. Even where [Libala] we want to put up the same energy hub. People are very welcoming and willing to work with us”. Bryson also shared his enjoyment of visiting the communities and seeing how the people lived in those areas. “The passion that they have in relation to the project… some of the suggestions that they put across. It gave me a better picture of what to expect there for the future”. Bryson described the Libala community as a hilly location with good soil for agriculture. Mainly, they have livestock such as goats, chickens, and cattle. He explained that Libala is an area that hasn’t been exposed to certain social amenities, saying that the solar kiosks would be a plus for the community.

Both Bryson and Monica have felt that the support and positivity that KWH has given them is motivation to continue this work. “They are very considerate, and they are listening people. They get back to you with positive answers. They are motivating us to work with them. I don’t have any regrets working with KWH,” Monica said. Bryson shared his personal motto, “Cooperation is the best operation”. Adding that the collaboration and synergy show that there are positive results of the partnership between Caritas Livingstone and KWH.

“Through KWH, I learned what solar energy is,” Monica said. The skills and knowledge shared between Caritas Livingstone team and KWH have prepared them for the implementation of these solar energy hubs. Building workshops and shared business plans are just some of the tools to help with implementation. Bryson said that they hope to have some kind of marketing to gain visibility on this project as it progresses. He hopes that the exposure would help spread information throughout the community and to other stakeholders who may have an interest in the work they are doing.

Both Monica and Bryson wanted to emphasize the importance of securing the location that will hold the solar energy hub. Bryson mentioned that they are working with traditional leadership in the Libala community. Meaning that the land provided for this project is promised to be protected and safeguarded against vandalism and theft. The Libala Chief has expressed his full support for the project and is ensuring its safety.