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From postman to solar engineer: Youth action to electrify remote mountain villages

24.07.2020

Located deep in the valley of Zanskar in the Indian Himalayas is a centuries-old village called Marling. Only the local natives or true wanderers reach this far into the mountains, as it takes 20 hours by car on a dirt road followed by a long trek of three hours in a valley to arrive. The entire village remains cut off from connectivity during winter and there is no active way to communicate. 

Until 2017, there was no electricity in the village and the community used kerosene lamps for their lighting needs. It was then that Mountain Partnership member Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) electrified the village with solar microgrids. During the solar electrification of the village, the team of engineers met the postman of the valley, Tenzin Choejor. He is a young man eager to do something more for his region and as a young Ladakhi boy, he always wanted to do something for his village. He had an inclination for social work and having spent time in Leh and Zanskar, he understood the value of development. When the opportunity arrived to help GHE, he grabbed it with both hands. Thanks to Choejor, the GHE team was able to solve two main problems they had: communication and maintenance.  After training with GHE for a few months, Choejor now not only works as a local postman but also as the local coordinator of GHE for the  Zanskar region of Ladakh.

Read more about Choejor and GHE’s journey of electrifying remote mountain villages here. 

Story and Photos by Mountain Homestays