The residents of Bolodou, a village in rural Guinea, have been using battery-powered lamps at night for years. But now — thanks to a crazy project started by a math teacher named Ibrahima Tounkara, the 90 homes in this small, isolated village have electricity 24/7.
Last year, Tounkara used up all his savings building a micro-hydroelectric dam on a little stream that runs through the area. Currently, his set-up generates 9kW.
Tounkara is now a hero in his home village. Just last year-- after a year of research and planning-- this handyman managed to set up a hydroelectric dam on Gbasso creek, which cuts across Bolodou.
To build the dam, he invested 50 million Guinean francs [4,650 euros] from his own pocket. However, this dam now provides a steady stream of electricity to 80 of the 94 homes in the village.
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It’s an amazing success for a project that no one dared to believe in at first.