Our initial planning did not have any return on investment due to the huge cost of solar panels. Therefore we embarked on the journey to look for opportunities, to improve our ROI. We began searching for reputable companies that specialise in financed solar solutions throughout Africa and came across SolarAfrica. They provide complete energy solutions for companies wanting an alternative to grid or diesel (to learn more about SolarAfrica and how they did this with SMA and Harmonics Systems, visit (http://www.solarafrica.com/commercial-solar/#commercial-videos)

In June 2013, the Government of Japan, and the Government of Kenya established a Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) . The  Global Environment Centre (GEC) Foundation works on environmental issues of global importance with many countries to promote investment and deployment of low carbon technologies, products, systems etc. We applied for a grant to the GEC and were fortunate to receive it, hence commenced the initiation of the prestigious project.

The biggest challenge we faced when trying to get this project of the ground was getting licenses and approvals from the County government. Seeing as how this was a new endeavor for a remote location, there were no measures in place regarding what permits or fees were required. Thanks to lots of resilience liaising with the various ministries and government departments we did finally iron out a license agreement and fees. We did learn that when trying something new, getting approvals early is critical.

Now that the project is complete we expect to find that our power supply is stable, our air is cleaner, and our electricity costs are lowered (by 22%). We also expect to see other projects like this become more frequent in the area as a foundation has now been set and people in the area now have experience working on projects like this.

Visit SolarAfrica’s website http://www.solarafrica.com/

Read SMA’s Press Release here http://www.sma.de/newsroom/aktuelle-nachrichten/news-detail/news/16058-pv-hybrid-system-von-sma-senkt-die-stromkosten-in-ostafrikas-groesster-salzfabrik.html

Common salt (Sodium Chloride) is produced all over the world either by solar evaporation or through mining. At Krystalline Salt Ltd, salt harvesting is purely through solar evaporation,  in the sense that no chemicals are added during the production of salt. The whole operation mainly depends on solar evaporation along with the regulation of the flow of brine through a series of evaporators, condensers, and crystallizers.

Water is moved to evaporators and condensers. Here the water gets evaporated by the sun leaving behind a concentrated solution known as brine.

4 months later (depending on the weather) whats left in the evaporators and condensers are sparkly shimmering salt crystals which are harvested and loaded onto trucks. We call these salt crystallizers.

crystalllizers

The trucks transport the freshly harvested salt to the factory where it is washed and stored as a giant heap.

The salt is then moved into the factory where it is washed again (except for our Coarse Salt), sprayed with iodine, crushed, dried, and sorted by size.

The salt then moves onto our packing section where it is packed and loaded for transport to its various destinations.

And that is the basics. Other processes include managing and maintaining salinity levels, microorganism levels, and quality.

“Well sure, salt is food so…”

“But we grow a bunch of fruits and vegetables”

“What?! Why?!”

“Sustainability my friend, sustainability.”

At Krystalline Salt, we encourage all our employees to have kitchen gardens. A kitchen garden is a little garden you would have to grow items you use the most in order to minimize spending.

The agriculture department however, do something a little more unique. They maintain farms and plantations to sustain employees with food. That’s right, we grow food for our employees. But that’s not all. The agriculture department spends time researching new ways and methods to grow food that doesn’t typically grow in the area. They also conduct research on creating natural fertilizers of varying strengths to aid development of different types of crops. Have a look at our gallery.

Besides the sponsorship directly benefiting the student in question, the families or foster families indirectly benefit by having more money to spend on basics such as food and water. Additionally, the stress due to uncertainty regarding budgetary and financial concerns is also alleviated allowing the families in question to lead more prosperous and productive lives.

We have also established an Out-Grower program with local farmers to grow trees. We currently have more than 86 local farmers who have been engaged. The seedlings are provided by us. Until now, over 7,404 casuarina trees have been planted by the Out-Grower farmers.

We have also managed to plant more trees this year by making an agreement with Marereni Primary and Secondary schools to plant casuarina trees along their boundaries. We have planted approximately 1,940 casuarina trees within the schools’ compounds.

Through the tree planting program, we have also engaged the locals (both individuals and saccos) in maintaining casuarina tree nurseries. We provide seeds and seedling bags to the farmers, and when the seedlings mature for transplanting we buy them, there by providing a source of income to the community.

During the camp a total of 762 people were screened and treated for various illnesses by the Ministry of Health. In addition, over 200 people were tested in the VCT facility at the hospital.

During the post analysis of the medical camp the following briefing was communicated by the doctor in charge of the medical camp;

• 13 persons were found to be diabetic out of which one was in critical condition. He was referred to Nyeri District Hospital and was assisted by the Nyeri County ambulance that was on stand by.
• 215 people used the VCT services
• 196 children were assessed by the EARC personnel and given assessment reports for placement in schools.
• 572 persons with disabilities attended the medical camp and were treated for various illnesses.

Reverse Osmosis plant Gongoni

Some of the benefits of mineral water include the following.

• Mineral water helps with weight loss.
• Improve bone health.
• Lower blood pressure.
• Lower LDL cholesterol.
• Aid digestion.
• Maintain muscle performance.
• Maintain electrolyte balance.
• Reduce kidney stone risk.
• Better your skin.

Mangroves are one of the most productive and bio diverse forms of forest on our planet. Mangroves create a natural form of protections against waves. They also protect against soil erosion.

According to experts, mangrove trees store over 18 million metric tons of carbon per year.  Mangrove trees protect coral reefs by trapping mud sediments within their root networks preventing them from smothering the reefs.

The ability to support and nourish marine life leads to local communities gaining an extra source of income and sustenance from fishing.

Mangroves are also used for producing natural medicine used for treating ailments such as stomach and skin problems..

Currently research is being carried out to try and use genes from mangrove plants to build resistances to saline environments for other plants to solve food security issues in the world.

In 1988, Krrystalline Salt constructed a primary school in Marereni as part of their commitment to contribute towards improving the standards of education that are available. Located in a neighboring community, construction began first with 2 classrooms. In 2003, they finished building an administration block as well as 15 additional classrooms. A water tank was also provided above the gate of the school along with a fence that was put up in 2016. Till today, the company continue to contribute annually to the school in the form of school furniture and books. Currently the school educates 1780 students.

In 1988, we took it upon ourselves to build the first maternity ward in Magarini allowing doctors and nurses to work hard at keeping the risks associated with child birth to a minimum.

In 2005, we added to the ward by building a second block, and in 2015, we added a third block. This was mainly to facilitate better storage and distribution of drugs and equipment. We continue to provide annual medical kits to the facility, and till today, this stands as the only maternity ward in  Magarini constituency.

The services provided by the ward include –

1. Maternity/Labor/Post-natal care (PNC)
2. Anti-natal care services (ANC)
3. Family planning (F/P)
4. Prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT)
5. Diagnostic Testing & counseling (DTC)
6. HIV testing and counseling (HTC)
7. Anti-retoviral therapy (ART)
8. Child Growth Monitoring
9. Deliveries
10. Immunization
11. Nutritional Counseling
12. Voluntary Counseling and testing (VCT)
13. Public Health Services
14. Laboratory Services
15. Curative and Diagnostic services.

Currently, the ward delivers an average of 25 babies per month. The ward employs 2 clinical officers, 3 nurses, a public health officer, a laboratory technologist, store keepers, and other support staffs comprising of cleaners and security. The nurses, clinical officers, lab technologist, and public health officer are deployed by the County Government of Kilifi. Others are employed by the Dispensary Health Committee.

“We appreciate much the relationship built between the dispensary and the community. Making us feel that we are providing satisfactory services to them and hence improving their health and living standards. The growth over years is a motivation to us to continue improving and work hard for a better dispensary and if possible a Health Center in the future.”

Anonymous employee

Since it’s construction the ward has achieved many milestones such as –

• The dispensary was awarded the best dispensary in record keeping in 2015 following their proper records of issuance of Insecticide Treated Nets to the community.
• It was also awarded as the number one dispensary having the best drug store in Kilifi County. Other dispensaries are now learning from them.
• They have a scheduled outreach program every Thursday ensuring they have a strong bond with the community, which has lead to them gaining the community’s trust over the years.
• Their services have extended far wider, outside their jurisdiction, and they have reached out to isolated areas of Bora Imani and Kanagoni.