Donate to the Nomad Foundation

Loading…

Donate to one of our causes:

  • Sponsor Students
  • Tamesna Center for Nomadic Life
  • Cataract Mission
  • Motorcycle Repair Training
  • Traditional Birth Attendant Training
  • Drill the Well for Tamesna
  • Buy an animal for a nomad
  • Buy Jewelry
  • Sponsor a Matrone
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The NOMAD Foundation

seeking to balance cultural tradition...with economic opportunity

  • Home
  • Current Causes
    • Sponsor Students
    • Sponsor a Matrone
    • Buy an animal for a nomad
    • Drill the Well for Tamesna
    • Traditional Birth Attendant Training 2019
    • Motorcycle Repair Training
    • Cataract Mission
    • Nomad Gal Jewelry
  • Projects
    • Tamesna Center for Nomadic Life
    • Water
      • Wells
    • Food
      • Agricultural Development
      • Cereal Banks
    • Health
      • Medical Clinic
      • Traditional birth attendant and Healthcare Training
    • Education
      • Boarding School
      • Solar Fabrication and Installation
      • Schools
    • Work
      • Earthbag Building
      • Solar Fabrication and Installation
      • Women’s Co-ops
      • Herds
    • Mali projects
  • About
    • About the Nomad Foundation
    • Leslie Clark – Founder
    • Sidi Mamane – Niger Representative
    • Press
    • Nomad Board of Directors
    • Accomplishments
    • Awards and Grants
    • Friends and Partners
    • About Niger
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Facebook

DONATE NOW

Solar Fabrication and Installation

Why do nomads need solar power when they don’t have houses let alone energy-guzzling modern appliances? The answer is simple: water. Wells equipped with solar-powered pumps can save the nomads thousands of hours of manual labor and produce enough water for gardens as well as herds. The foundation’s investment during the last year in training nomads how to fabricate solar panels  culminated this fall with the opening of Nomad Energy with an office in Agadez selling solar panels. These panels will charge cell phones and batteries, provide power to pump water and help bring more reliable energy to an erratic national system.

energie solaire

Solar panels made by the nomads are pumping water to irrigate a large demonstration garden where onions and the nutritious moringa trees are cultivated and charging cell phones all over nomadic territory.

cell phone chargers

Additional training conducted this fall by Dr. Richard Komp taught the nomads how to install systems for electricity and water pumps with the panels they build. Here are their panels installed to provide electricity for the new education center at Tamesna.

solar installation at Tamesna

They also built solar ovens for cooking and to use in an improved method of solar panel fabrication.solar oven

solar oven construction

The nomads have been eager to learn this highly technical skill and they catch on quickly.  Here they are soldering photovoltaic cells.

They are installing a system to provide lights to the school at Foudouk, where many of the students reside.

The next step will be to build a manufacturing facility at the Tamesna Center for Nomadic Life. Here nomads on the annual migration route may stop off, build some panels and earn a supplemental income without having to change their lifestyle and lose their livelihood as herders. They will have access to cheaper solar equipment than ever before, allowing them to realize two of the foundation’s major goals: income generation and better access to clean water.

Primary Sidebar

How To Help

  • Sponsor Students
  • Tamesna Center for Nomadic Life
  • Cataract Mission
  • Motorcycle Repair Training
  • Traditional Birth Attendant Training
  • Drill the Well for Tamesna
  • Buy an animal for a nomad
  • Buy Jewelry
  • Sponsor a Matrone

Posts From the Field

Dr. Becky’s thoughts on the 2019 mission

What it’s like to go on a mission

Handing it over–a beginning

Iferouane goats and women’s co-op

On to Iferouane

Tamesna Clinic and School

Niger

niger

Footer

Stay in Touch

We send occasional newsletters about our projects, events and efforts.

View the Nomad Gallery site

The Nomad Foundation, a US 501(c) 3 Corporation

Tax ID # 20-8170046