Repetual's Guatemalan Adventure

The Repetual team arrived in Guatemala on May 22^nd for a trip to continue research, market validation and promote our products across the country.  We finalized two functioning SwitchBox prototypes along with multiple lighting options to demonstrate throughout Guatemala.  We also brought with us other complimentary products that can be powered by the SwitchBox.  It has been a great trip so far!  We have had the opportunity to meet with extraordinary directors of NGOs based in multiple regions focused on helping improve the lives of impoverished Guatemalans through food, education, medical services and even entrepreneurship support.  I’ll highlight some of the discussions and encounters we’ve had over the past week:

We met with Bob Sutton of Mayan Families in Panajachel.  Panajachel is a beautiful town situated on the banks of Lake Atitlan, one of the deepest lakes in the world.  Bob has spent the past several years helping improve the lives of families in Honduras and Guatemala. Due to his experience researching and testing solar powered lighting devices for the past several years, Bob has been a fabulous resource.  Additionally, he was selected as one of 20 GSBI (Global Social Benefit Incubator) scholarship winners, a great honor and a tribute to his hard work.  Bob shared with us his experiences and understanding of the needs of families who do not have access to electricity.

Through Bob and Mayan Families, we had the opportunity to conduct a focus group with 13 indigenous Kaqchik women living in or near the town of San Antonio who have limited access to electricity.  Through surveys and activities we were able to collect valuable information on how these families use electricity and light, along with identifying their needs and desires.  It’s astounding that many families such as these spend upwards of 150 times more money for energy than we do in the United States.  We also conducted home visits to better understand the living conditions and how our products would work in their homes.  Sandra (center photo below) is a teacher at the pre-school we visited.  She generously offered a visit to her home to observe the difficulties of living without electricity.  Although she has electrical wiring and even light bulbs in her 200 square foot three-room home, it would cost hundreds of dollars to connect to the grid, which is much more than she can afford.  These opportunities to visit with families and NGOs helped us identify some important improvements we can make to the final design of Repetual’s products to ensure we meet the needs of people like Sandra. 

        

Although our focus for this trip was work, we managed to squeeze in some time to explore some of the sites and history of Guatemala.  We had a fun time in San Pedro, another picturesque village on the banks of Lake Atitlan.  The day before we arrived, a mud slide knocked down the power lines providing electricity to the town.  We were able to directly demonstrate the benefits of our products to the businesses (bars) and patrons at night in San Pedro.  It was a great opportunity to watch how light from the SwitchBox attracted customers as we used it to play a game of darts and chat with locals and travelers alike.

As we drove north west to Xela, also called Quetzaltenango, we met with a couple organizations devoted to technology and/or increasing the quality of life for people in this area. There is a dense concentration of  NGO's and micro-finance organizations because there is so much farming and thus a wealth of opportunity for locals in this region. One of the organizations we met with is Mercy Wings. They were a wonderful group of local Guatemalans devoted to helping their own people. It was wonderful to see the reaction they had about our product and how they could use it. 

 Many more organizations we met with expressed immense interest in the products we were able to demonstrate.  Organizations such as Casasita and Integral Heart Foundation have already supported the installation of solar-powered lighting devices and have seen first-hand, the benefits they provide for education to quality of life. We fully support their missions and look forward to creating a lasting relationship.

We had another great meeting with Franklin Voohers, the founder of As Green as it Gets.  As Green as it Gets supports small independent coffee producers and promotes environmentally sustainable agriculture in Guatemala.  Franklin is an amazing person and a great resource, helping us better understand our target market and how to reach them in the most effective way.  I believe we’ll be working closely with Franklin and his organization in the future.

In other news, Repetual was selected as a Semi-finalist for the Clean Tech Open business competition!  Good thing are on the horizon.

Look for another update after our journey to the coastal region where will be installing a solar power system for the Peace Corps.