Pilot Phase I: June 2012 to June 2013, Phalombe and Thyolo District

The model of the rural energy kiosk (RurEnKi) emerged in several developing countries in the beginning of the early 2010s. We as RENAMA had been blessed with a grant in 2012 by the Scottish Government Malawi Development Fund to implement our own two energy kiosk projects, one at Bvumbwe Court (Thyolo District) and on at Dzenje Primary School (Phalombe District). The funding was limited to a one-year pilot initiative in order to test the viability of the energy kiosk concept and its impact on the local communities.

While RENAMA was the Malawian lead partner responsible for the overall implementation and coordination of the RurEnKis, the consortium for the pilot phase consisted of the Scottish project management partner, the International Resource and Recycling Institute (IRRI), as well as local partners EQNON, Concern Universal, Airtel Mobile Money and LEAD South Eastern Africa. WASHTED/University of Malawi Polytechnic, Bboxx UK and the David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability at the University of Strathclyde were associate partners.

After the final installation in early 2013, the involved Field Facilitators supported the community to elect an Energy Kiosk Committee with representatives of all existing community committees, and to identify and agree on detailed procedures, eligibility criteria, regulations, risk mitigation action and sanctions. The committees were supported in recruiting station staff in an open application process and to develop a maintenance plan, thus reducing the need for donor interventions & enhancing self-help capacity. Community facilitation in Bvumbwe was undertaken by RENAMA, in Dzenje supported by Concern Universal outreach staff.

A first Best Practice Report had been created by the end of the pilot phase in June 2013. After the funding phased out, it became clear that the kiosks still needed support and advice. Consequently RENAMA, EQNON and Concern Universal agreed to further support the communities with regular monitoring and back-up support on a voluntary basis and through an Advisory Board.

Eventually a second phase became subject of discussion, so that in August 2016, after a number of stakeholder meetings and negotiations the Rural Off-Grid Energy Kiosks – Phase II was launched.