Lekela, in partnership with contractor Vestas, has built over 700 desks and benches for schools in the area around its Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye (PETN) wind farm in Senegal. The desks have been manufactured with wood recycled from the shipment crates used to transport components to the wind farm during construction, preventing the materials from going to waste.
Working with the local community, the scheme has also provided employment and skills development opportunities for 19 local carpenters who built the desks.
As part of Lekela’s work to improve access to education in local communities, the project will benefit over 40 schools in the Taiba N’Diaye area, including the local high school. This forms just one part of Lekela’s community investment programme for PETN, which seeks to improve education, enterprise and the environment in the local community.
Earlier this year, Lekela opened a new computer centre for the Taiba N’Diaye High School, providing the resources needed for I.T. training and equipping people with the skills they need in their future jobs. The centre, which has 32 computers and a number of other pieces of I.T. equipment, will benefit approximately 1,500 students each year.
In recent months, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Lekela has looked to support the community in its fight against the disease. This includes through awareness campaigns, distributing protective masks and gloves to local health facilities, establishing sanitation posts, and support for vulnerable households including the provision of food.
Construction for the 158MW project is set to be finished by the end of 2020.. Once complete, the wind farm will represent a 15% uplift to Senegal’s generation capacity and provide energy for 2 million people.