By Alex Yomah
The Liberian Red Cross Society for the first time, has constructed and dedicated a Solar Energy Project that was funded by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia.
The Energy project which cost the Liberian Red Cross Society roughly USD100, 000 was implemented by Elsie Renewable Power Solution and was dedicated on March 10, 2023.
Asserting how the project started, the Liberian Red Cross Society’s General Secretary, Gregory Blamoh, hailed the Swedish Embassy for the support towards Solar Energy.
He said that this started a year ago when the Liberian Red Cross Society hosted a high level delegation of Swedish officials and especially at a time, the institution’s generator barely worked for a day.
“Our generator we had barely functions; it was at that meeting that we focused on Solar Energy for number of reasons purposely because our organization was building resilience in the community,” Blamoh stated.
According to the Secretary General, the discussion was centered on Climate Change which was a global discussion, and that solar energy project brought economic impact to the Liberian Red Cross Society.
Statistics from the finance department shows that the institution was consuming 20 gallons of fuel oil daily on the office generator and an amount of USD 25,000 but with the erection of the project, “We will have no more and it will increase our work in the community.”
Officially dedicating the Solar Energy project, Nanlee Johnson, Program officer, Swedish expressed thanks to both Liberian Red Cross and the Swedish Red Cross.
He said that the Swedish Embassy is proud to form a part of the Liberian Red Cross, stating that it is a big step in the right direction.
Mr. Johnson stated that the Swedish Embassy has a new development strategy directed towards Climate Change, national resources; a biodiversity as areas that Sweden focuses its development priority.
In closing, the President of the Liberian Red Cross Society, Jerome Clarke, thanked the Swedish Embassy for the level of support to the Liberian Society, and identified the Solar Energy project as a major contribution to the Liberian Red Cross, and one of the most significant challenges. “We have been faced with the high cost of electricity, especially the cost of fuel for electricity generation,” Jerome Clarke intimated.
“As you can imagine; this has been a considerable drain on our financial resources, which could otherwise have been used to support our humanitarian action,” Clarke concluded.
