Nyampondzwene, Mozambique: On October 1, 2008, Community Uplift Ministries (CU), the parent organization for Synergy Initiatives and our sister-program ‘Circle of Light’, launched it’s first Energy Store in Mozambique. Plans to launch additional Energy Stores in Mozambique are on the horizon, but for now, U.S. Circle of Light (CoL) leaders are working with our in-country partner, Light for Development, to build a strong foundation for the program.

Before moving ahead with additional communities, refinements are being incorporated into the existing CoL program in the first Mozambique community of Nyampondzwene. "We've learned many things along the way and we are making improvements to our program model," says CU Executive Director Jim Karins. "We want to build a solid foundation for the program before expanding, so as to grow and expand wisely."

Circle of Light Energy Stores will now be owned and operated by the in-country partner, instead of a community-based cooperative. This will serve to produce more robust revenue streams that will cover the in-country partner’s administrative and operations costs. The goal is that the Mozambique in-country partner, Light for Development, will become increasingly financially self-sustaining and require no external funding for their administrative and operational expenses.

New ownership plans and options are also being created to provide homeowners with more choices and create local accountability mechanisms to better assure payments. Together, these programmatic improvements, combine with additional synergistic efforts. create a better opportunity for community transformation and a more sustainable CoL program. (Read more about the payment options for CoL systems at www.lightforafrica.org/situation/solution.)