Mr. Kawago is the founder and Chief Technical Officer of WAGA, an organization which produces photo voltaic lamps, energy banks and mini-power partitions, to assist rural dwellers entry off-grid clear and reasonably priced vitality for lighting and energy options, and concrete dwellers to deal with energy cuts.
Presently, Mr. Kawago is working with Tanzanian radio station Wasafi FM, educating over 13 million individuals on fixing digital issues and elevating consciousness of recent applied sciences.
He spoke to UN Information in the course of the 2023 ECOSOCYouth Discussion board, which happened on the finish of April.
‘It was onerous to speak with the surface world’
“As a result of there was no electrical energy in my village once I was rising up, these with cellphones couldn’t cost them when the battery ran out. So, I might deliver 5 to 10 telephones with me on a bicycle, and journey round thirty miles to the closest city with energy.
However typically it might take two days to recharge the telephones, as a result of there was a queue. This made it very onerous for individuals to speak with the surface world, however we had no selection.
This made wish to discover options to this downside, of dwelling in a group that was not related to the electrical energy grid. That’s why I arrange Waga, however we work along with NGOs and the federal government to unravel the issue collectively.
‘Radio is highly effective’
I made a decision to become involved with Wasafi FM as a result of radio is highly effective. You’ll be able to pay attention on the general public transport, at residence or in your cell phone. And these days we are able to dwell stream on-line.
In the mean time, I’ve a day by day five-minute section, the place I share details about the newest tendencies in know-how. I speak about issues like web safety, explaining how younger individuals could make their social media accounts safer, as a result of numerous them don’t understand how to do that. I additionally train them about phishing assaults, and methods to shield themselves from hackers who will attempt to steal their accounts.
So, I educate them on how they’ll safe their accounts, but additionally I to get them on new applied sciences. There are such a lot of applied sciences that me as provides them I’ve entry to and have data about. However these individuals dwelling in rural locations who take heed to radios cannot entry the web.
‘We all know the place we’re going’
We frequently look to the bosses of massive firms to vary issues, however we are able to additionally make a distinction. At WAGA, we’re additionally attempting to assist individuals to battle local weather change in Tanzania with our e-mobility options. We make powerpacks, for instance, that may flip common motorbikes into electrical bikes. However first we have to change individuals’s mindsets. They should perceive why it’s essential to make use of electrical bikes and, for that to occur, they should be educated.
Younger individuals have numerous potential to vary the world. And, as we now have seen on the Youth Discussion board, though we come from many alternative backgrounds, we’re united in our widespread purpose, to attain the Sustainable Improvement Targets.
The world makes a highway for individuals who know the place they’re going. And we all know the place we’re going.”
