Elizabeth Moonga: The farming revolution harvesting more than food
Elizabeth Moonga has achieved something revolutionary in her farming community: she has light all night, doesn’t use kerosene lamps and watches a state-of-the-art solar TV in her own home. What’s more, Elizabeth can pay for her solar system in a flexible payment plan designed specifically for her farming income.
In Zambia, 60% people rely on agriculture for their livelihood. In rural areas, this figure is much higher and farming work is a priority income source for many. Working in agriculture often means farmers will earn the majority of their yearly income during the harvest between April and June, when they can sell their crops for the best prices.
Elizabeth is a retired teacher from Siachitema, Southern Zambia. She spends her retirement as a farmer on her family’s land, where she lives with 7 other members of her family ranging from 10 to 60 years of age. Everyone contributes to the farming, growing maize, potatoes, yams and groundnuts – staples of Zambian markets. Elizabeth and her family sell their crops during harvest season, producing the income which pays for the majority of expenses throughout the rest of the year.
Whilst most Pay-Go contracts require the customer to pay back the same minimum amount each month towards their products, Azuri noticed that customers who rely on farming income required a different plan. Azuri’s harvest payment plan gives farmers the option to move to a ‘bulk payment’ and ‘maintenance payment’ system aligned with their income.
“The harvest plan lets me pay more in the harvest months when I have more money available and less in the months in between when I am having to save for home expenses. It’s much easier and better for my family throughout the year.”
Elizabeth’s AzuriTV solar home system has changed life significantly for her and her family. Weekly expenses were high from visiting shops to charge their mobile phones which would take hours from their days. Despite knowing the health risks, Elizabeth had no alternative but to buy kerosene for evening lights so her children could study and progress at school.
With her AzuriTV solar home system, however, Elizabeth has clean light, entertainment on-demand from TV and radio and peace of mind that she can budget comfortably for the year with the harvest payment plan. Especially during COVID-19 lockdowns, it has been more important than ever that home is a clean, safe environment so her children can learn remotely and keep up with their education. Once the contract is complete Elizabeth’s solar energy will be free to use forever.
“Now I can provide clean lighting without kerosene for my children, especially as we are spending more time at home. I am saving money because I can work with this payment system, I don’t have to pay others to charge our phones. It’s so much better than before. I watch TV when I want to, the children have education at home during the lockdowns and I am connected to the outside world.”