What is Guguplex about?

So the question people ask is what is Guguplex Technologies about? What are we trying to do as a company? What is our vision and goals?

Principally we are about providing modern life-changing energy technology to the very poorest who are normally neglected by larger corporations to give them the same opportunities that other people take for granted. The reason we do this is that we are passionate about sharing the love of Jesus by bringing both physical and spiritual light to people.

So does this make Guguplex a charity? No - Guguplex eventually aims to run profitable small businesses in the countries it operates in, owned and operated by local people in each country. So why do we seek to make a profit if we claim that our purpose is purely for the benefit of others. Several reasons drive why we believe a profit driven model is better in the long run:

1. More sustainable - a charitable model only lasts as long as other people's desire to give away money, a profitable business has more consistent revenue that can be used to expand the business and employ more people. Successful growing businesses done right are an enormous blessing to a local community.

2. Places a greater value on the service offered - people will accept anything for free and will often treat it as such. If Guguplex is offering a truly useful product people will pay for it and treat it with the necessary care that their investment deserves. This creates a culture of ownership which is equally important for long term success.

3. Creates an incentive for local people to grow the business and reach more people - there is a desperate need for skilled jobs in developing countries that generate a living wage. We cannot expect people to get involved and give their time for free when they are struggling to survive and support families. Their investment in providing this for others should also be an investment in their future as well.

Mobile phones have clearly shown how profit driven technology companies can be far more effective than aid and development programmes in reaching people if people truly see the product as useful. They have revolutionised life in many parts of Africa and continue to do so. If Guguplex is to reach those who would most benefit from solar lighting and on a scale that truly makes an impact it must become a profitable business.

Now the need to make a profit and the issue of exploiting others to enrich one's self is often at the forefront of development conversations. What is a morally responsible reward to receive for one's time and risk investment? Well to avoid this issue distracting from the overarching objectives, Guguplex's founder's are currently starting up these businesses on a personal not for profit basis i.e. we do not intend to make any profit from this work over the coming months. This keeps it clear that this is not being done for our personal enrichment.

Our vision is that we will create a growing number of small successful businesses run on Christian principles that successfully meet the needs of their communities in terms of practical help, personal skills development, economic growth and spiritual understanding.

Key to this will be how successfully we can train people in the skills needed to run a solar business both on the technical and the managerial side. This is a key aim in our partnerships with existing organisations working in these countries, to provide us with the knowledge and experience that they have accumulated over many years of work and use it to shape the way we operate. We don't pretend to be experts, we simply work with those who are so that we can share their expertise in practical ways. We are blessed to have many offers of help to date and we only see  this expanding as other people identify with our vision and desire to contribute some of their expertise towards it.

 This is part of God's model for us in his family, that we work together collectively sharing our many unique God-given talents to create something which is much greater than the sum of it's parts. And in that though we are working for the benefit of others, we ourselves are blessed.

Video Up!

Well after lots of editing I have finally finished my first introductory video to our solar project which I have embedded below. This outlines the general philosophy of the system and some of Guguplex's aims for the project.

We have recently been asked to get involved with a project building Children's homes in Kenya and also to showcase the system in the rainforest interior of Suriname where most communities live along the rivers at the edge of the jungle. We will be travelling to these places over the coming months to set-up trial systems and educate local communities around what is possible.

Following the feedback from these trips we intend to start looking at setting up local businesses in each location that can distribute and install the systems for the local communities creating economic opportunities for these communities.

Next step will be working on an educational package of videos and manuals to help explain and teach people how to install and maintain these systems for themselves.