Now (2020) we are there anyway, we take a few things with us that are not directly related to the monastery and the school. We are now helping to put some ideas into practice.
Electricity for Phaya Taung Village
We had an extensive meeting with the village heads in 2019. We exchanged ideas, possibilities and pro’s and con’s of solar power.
We meet the same mix of skepticism and enthusiasm that we know from at home. Skepticism is fueled by malfunctioning systems in the area (bad panels, missing electronics, bad batteries, dirty panels). And they long for the electricity that has been promised to them for years ! From the dam that changed their lake. They think they will be connected to the grid quickly and have no idea of the costs.
Later, after visiting projects on some islands, we email photos to show what it looks like from a neutral point of view.