Kirina has recently experienced a tremendous change for the daily life of the community. The village has been offered more than 300 solar panels (photovoltaic panels) through the Malian government. The initiative is the result of the cooperation between the Chinese and the Malian governments. The village of Kirina has been chosen for this very special gift among thousands of villages in Mali. Many other villages in the country are also without electricity so we are thrilled to have been chosen among these other places.

The “streets” of the village are lit every evening until 1am and dozens of families now have light in their homes at night as every solar panel is connected to a battery, a converter and a power strip, which allows for the use of lamps, radios, or any other electric devices in their home. This gift has been received with the blessing of the community, and a great deal of work has been done to inform all the community members on how to use the installations properly. A group of people has also been trained on how to maintain the installations. The music school also received a panel, a battery and a converter, which will allow us to organize special events at the school and introduce electronic instruments to it in the future.

This is a tremendous change for the village, and we believe it is going to make for a more comfortable everyday life, even if Kirina, like many other villages in Africa, still needs better access to clean water, alphabetization and education. This is an ongoing struggle, and your support is the only way we can continue to bring positive change through music education to areas such as Kirina, Mali.

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