UNOPS, MOE Donate 1,000 solar lanterns
August 18, 2017 By Joseph S. Margai
Few of the solar lanterns being displayed on the table
With support from UKAID, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy (MOE), has donated one thousand (1,000) solar lanterns to the Office of National Security (ONS) in order to aid rescue operations at the recent mudslide sites in Freetown.
The handing over of the solar lanterns was done in the presence of the British High Commissioner, Guy Warrington, Ministry of Energy, Ambassador Henry Macauley, UNOPS Country Manager, Nick Gardner, and officials of ONS at Tower Hill in Freetown.
UNOPS Country Manager, Nick Gardner, said the fund for the donation was from UKAID and it was distributed by UNOPS.
“Each of the solar lanterns is five watts and could last for ten (10) hours. This will help rescue operations at the recently mudslide sites in Freetown. We doing what we can to support rescuers and the survivors,” he said.
He said UNOPS is part of the United Nations (UN) Country team which is supporting the mapping and surveys exercise to try to assess the extent of the damage.
“We are also supporting the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to identify areas that are disaster prone so that we could prevent any further occurrence of such incident,” he said.
Minister of Energy, Ambassador Henry Macauley, said the donation would go a long way in helping rescue operations, adding that they would also be used by internally displaced people.
He said the solar lanterns have the capability to charge mobile phones and because the rescue workers do work at night the lights would be very useful.
British High Commissioner, Guy Warrington, said the people of Britain were very much concern of what was happening in Sierra Leone, adding that the solar lanterns are just the first step in wide range of programs aligned to help the people and government of Sierra Leone in the midst of the disaster.
He said it was his greatest honour to handover the British designed solar lanterns to the ONS.