A #100DaysofSolar Human Impact Story from Buteyongera, Mukono District, Uganda
For Balezewa Yowana and Asanasi Mangi, raising a family of nine in Buteyongera, Mukono District has always required sacrifice.
Every day meant thinking carefully about food, school needs, safety, and survival. But one challenge quietly affected nearly every part of their lives — staying connected.
Before Solar M7 arrived, charging a phone was never simple.
Whenever the battery died, someone had to walk nearly three kilometers looking for a place to charge. Sometimes they waited the entire day before returning home. During that time, they remained cut off from family, friends, and important communication.
If an emergency happened, reaching them was difficult.
If their children needed help, the phone could be off.
If relatives called, they often missed the connection entirely.
For Yowana and Asanasi, the distance was not only physical.
It was emotional too.
Then Solar M7 came into their home.
And suddenly, connection returned.
Today, their phones charge safely from home. Communication no longer depends on long walks or waiting for hours at charging stations. They speak to their children in real time. They stay informed. And in moments of urgency, they are no longer isolated from the people who matter most.
“Before Solar M7, charging phones was stressful and time-consuming,” the couple shared during their interview. “Sometimes we would miss important calls because the phones had no power. But now we stay connected from home, and life feels much easier.”
According to Doreen Nanfuka, many rural families experience energy poverty not only as lack of light, but also as lack of communication and inclusion.
“In many communities, a charged phone is a lifeline,” Doreen explained. “It connects families to healthcare, relatives, financial services, emergencies, and opportunity. When homes gain reliable energy, they regain connection to the wider world.”
Innocent Kawooya says one of the overlooked impacts of solar energy is the role it plays in restoring belonging and social stability.
“Energy access is also communication access,” he noted. “When families can stay connected safely and consistently, they become more secure, more informed, and more empowered.”
Today, nights inside Yowana and Asanasi’s home feel different.
The phones stay powered.
The family stays connected.
And in a home where communication once required exhausting journeys, light has brought something deeply human back into their lives.
Belonging.
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#100DaysofSolar #SolarM7 #IncludeEveryone #EnergyAccess #HumanImpact #Mukono #Uganda #CleanEnergy #HiPipo
