Solar street lights boost Lindi women's business

IT's around 8:00 pm but Aisha Mohamed is still busy with her business close to Lindi Bus Stand's exit door. The main customers of her are passengers coming from Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, and Ruvuma as well as passers-by.

The mother of three says she is confident of doing business until late hours, thanks to the solar-powered street lights installed in Lindi town and public areas.

"When there is darkness, women are afraid of robbers and harassment from hooligans..in darkness it is easy to be raped," says Aisha.

While Aisha is waiting for another customer, Mariam Malibiche passes in the street confidently knowing that nothing can harm her simply because there is the light insisting, "evils disappear when there is light."

Though Mariam does not know if the lights installed in different parts of the Lindi town are powered by solar energy, she says, compared to nearly a year ago, "There were more women in the streets beyond 18hrs."

The reason behind, Mariam narrates, is that before the installation of street lights, most small traders used to close their businesses early because there were no customers after sundown. She says, apart from security reasons, the businesses were not visible.

While the researcher is calling for affirmative actions to make cities and towns better places for women to live, Mr. Deogratius Temba, who is working with Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) as Programme Officer, says lights in towns or cities is a solution for minimizing crimes against girls and women. In the darkness, Mr. Temba says women can be harassed, attacked by robbers, or raped, and suppose they report such issues to the police, no clear evidence can be presented because "they can't mark them in darkness."

He adds that when towns, like Lindi, install light infrastructures, act as security guards because there is evidence of the low levels of attacks on women and girls in places where there is light. Another advantage, according to Temba, is that female students can walk freely in areas with where there is light without harm.

He adds some students are being forced to walk a long distance to their respective schools. He says due to distance, they are being forced to go to school early and return home. So, if they pass in areas where there is light, he adds, they are safe.

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