24-year-old Ndiuzayani owns a restaurant in Mandrade Village, Malawi. Here, she explains in her own words how she transformed her business after United Purpose established an energy kiosk in her village.
"Before the establishment of the energy kiosk, the lamp that I used to light the restaurant in the evenings did not provide sufficient light. This meant that customers couldn’t tell if my restaurant was open – so I lost a lot of business, and I regularly had to close early and I lost a lot of potential income as a result.
"When United Purpose came to the village and opened the energy kiosk, I bought a lamp for MK 6,500. Since then, I have benefited a lot – I am now able to keep the restaurant open as late as 9pm, whereas before I had to close at 6 or 7pm. As a result, I have had more customers and an increased income. This money means that I am able to assist my relatives in buying food and make household improvements.
"There has been a noticeable difference in the village from having the energy kiosk – most businesses and homes now have sufficient lighting during the night, which means that like me, they can stay open longer and make more money. In the near future, I want to buy or rent a battery from the kiosk so that I can connect a radio to attract customers with music. I also plan to buy a mobile phone, which I will be able to charge at the kiosk.”
