Story from the Field: Reaching for the Light with Love in Saluleang
It was only nine o'clock, but the sun was already shining brightly. Alfianti just finished the report she has prepared for the inauguration of the management of village-owned enterprises in Saluelang. "The heat is never a problem," she said, "the rain worries me because the roads are muddy, and motorbikes cannot pass."
Although it is located less than 20 km from Mamasa, the capital of West Sulawesi Province, the Saluleang Village in Tabuhanan District Mamasa Regency is almost isolated due to badly damaged road conditions. Motorcycles are the only mode of transportation in Saluleang Village, and even then, they can only be used when it's dry.
Leaving the Isolation
This condition isolates the economic activities of the 95 families village in the village. Residents who rely on rice and cocoa production for livelihood find it challenging to market their products. They have to pay a minimum of IDR 200,000 each way if they want to take their products out of the village.
The difficulty of access to transportation also impacts access to electricity. So far, residents have relied on lighting from electricity generated by residents' micro-hydro. "If the micro-hydro owner has to leave the village, residents only use candles for lighting at night," Alfianti said.
This condition has made Saluleang Village one of the ACCESS project beneficiaries. This clean energy utilization project assists by installing communal solar power plants in 23 villages in four provinces, including West Sulawesi. It is hoped that the construction of this PLTS can help reduce development inequality by assisting residents to gain access to essential services.
The Will for Improvement
The isolated condition of the village did not make the residents discouraged. The youth group is even more eager to improve the situation of their village. "That spirit greeted me when I first came here," recalls Alfianti. In line with the PLTS development preparation program, she accompanies the community in preparing to operate PLTS independently and sustainably, including by developing a village electricity management unit.
Along with the youths, Alfianti recreates the dream of building a prosperous Saluleang. Through interviews and tests, the residents selected these young people to develop the Bumdes. This process started with stakeholder mapping in early October 2021, followed by discussions afterwards.
January 22, 2022, the Head of Saluleang Village, Mr Eli Samawit, appointed Febrianus as Director of BUMDes, Jitro (Treasurer), and Medi Alvianus (Secretary) as manager of Bumdes. In his speech during the inauguration, Eli Samawit left a message for the management to be responsible for this new mandate and "be able to advance and provide new ideas to improve the economy of Saluleang Village." A vital innovation to bring Saluleang Village out of its current condition. He also asked the management to maximize the support provided by ACCESS Project through village facilitators as an incentive to improve performance.
The name chosen for the Village Owned Enterprise is no less beautiful, AGAPE SALULEANG SEJAHTERA. Agape means God's love and eternal love for His people. "We chose that name because the affection you will feel will be sincerely given to the community," said Eli Samawit. "With that love, we hope to light up our future soon."
In September 2021, UNDP Indonesia deployed the 23 Patriot Energy ACCESS Program (PEAP) to help villages prepare for the management of PV mini-grid under the ACCESS Project. During the five months of working, these companions had many exciting stories. This story was written by Alfianti, PEAP, Saluleang Mamasa Village, West Sulawesi. Alfianti will work there until March 2023 to help the community manage the communal solar-PV power plant built by the ACCESS Project.
Author: Salman Nursiwan, Monitoring and Outreach ACCESS Project