In Walagu, a small village in Papua Nieuw Guinea, the local population doesn’t have access to grid electricity. They mostly light and heat their houses using firewood, which puts their safety and health at risk. To charge their phones a 3-day trip to the nearest village with grid-electricity is required.
After Anne Stoppels, a linguistics researcher for the Wycliffe Onobasulu Language Project, took her own WakaWaka Power+ to Papua New Guinea the local population were very intrigued by the device. They had some knowledge of solar power, but didn’t have the means to access it themselves. Accordingly, Anne decided to bring along a box of WakaWaka Powers+ on her next visit. She was quickly sold out, and the new owners of the WakaWaka’s are happy with their purchase to this day. After two years of intensive usage the devices were still working as they’re supposed to. An increased sense of independence was also often mentioned, as they did not need to travel to another village in order to charge their phones any longer.