The excited pupils sent a strong message: 'Please President Obama do something. We just want to ask you to help other children all the over the world access solar power. Teacher Ann sees connection of climate change and the drought in Kogelo village and said that solar power is a solution to climate change. Help protect the climate, this is our future.'
Making reference to some of the drawings of solar panels sitting at the old iron sheet roofs of their classrooms and those of Mama Sarah Obama, the grandmother of the US president, the pupils informed him that hadn't it been for solar power, they would have never afforded to reach him through e-mail.
Their counterparts at secondary level in a separate e-mail made a simple request asking him to use his 'great office to encourage the utilisation of renewable energies such as solar power.'
'We want other students in communities similar to ours to be able to enjoy their education like we do here in Kogelo,' they wrote.
The students emphasised that renewable energy would help in solving the problem of climate change, which is affecting Kenya and other countries. 'Some people are dying of hunger because the rains don't come like they used to, farmers experience drought and people do not have enough food to eat. We are doing our job, please do yours,' they urged.
The Solar Power was installed by Greenpeace SolarGeneration project in August 2009.
The two schools " Senator Obama Nyangoma Primary School and Secondary School " are in Kogelo village, a stone throw away from Obama's grandmother's house.
Mama Sarah also accentuated the need for solar energy, saying it 'is clean, reliable and affordable, unlike paraffin that is widely used in the area.' She also got a solar-panel on her roof â" and is charging now mobile-t elephones of her young neighbours.
The ability to call on world leaders to protect the environment by such under privileged childre, who had never seen a computer until later this year, is a reminder to world leaders ahead of the UN Climate Change summit that the world needs greener energies and this is their moment to make the breakthrough that they have promised on climate change.
Bidding Obama a safe trip to Copenhagen, the students ended with 'We hope you can', said a statement issued by Greenpeace Africa.
Dar es Salaam - Pana 27/11/2009
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