- GreenTech’s MD visits the village for first relief action
Konteh is a small village in The Gambia’s Central River Region North,
Upper Saloum. GreenTech management was alerted by the local Peace Corp
Volunteer Emily Gilliland and her Gambian counterparts: This village is
challenged to feed its 78 local families, but not because there is food
shortage, but because there is no firewood for the traditional cooking.
GreenTech management was deeply touched by the dilemma, as this is exactly the situation, which GreenTech Co Ltd is eager to prevent through the production of solid biowaste fuel and thepromotion of fuel efficient stoves. Not hesitating long, GreenTech’s Managing Director, Anthony Tabbal, packed as many fuel efficient stoves and groundnutshell briquettes as he could fit in his car and rushed out with a small sensitisation team to analyse the situation and demonstrate alternative cooking options for the community.
The villagers provided a warm welcoming and introduced the sensitisation team to their environmental challenges. A look over the village fence undermined the worries of village
elders and cooks:
- There are no more trees around Konteh and the desert is approaching
Climate change, overexploitation and desertification have already taken their toll. The land is empty. Where once was a dense forest only grass and shrubs are left, trees grow scattered in the distance. Hence it takes the women and children, who are traditionally in charge of firewood collection, about three hours to fetch the firewood for their families to cook – not every mother can afford to leave her household and family behind for so long, which means no food can be cooked that day.
The GreenTech team delivered six fuel efficient stoves to test them with potential fuel material found in the village, mainly agricultural residues with no further use, such as empty corn heads, stalks and twigs…and it worked extremely well, especially the empty
corn heads proved to be excellent fuel.
- The Agricultural Officer of the area suported the activity
Thus GreenTech donated the six stoves to the most needy families and provided 50 kg of briquettes as a first relief. The sensitisation team also demonstrated the special features of the innovative cooking unit to make the users understand how to use it most efficiently. In the mean time, village representatives, the Peace Corp Volunteer, the Agricultural Officer and the GreenTech team also discussed the options of woodlots and agro-forestry to rehabilitate the bare land surrounding the village. Reafforestation measures will mitigate climate change and its effects on local and global level, whilst providing food, fodder, medicine and of course wood for fuel and construction. Trees and shrubs will further serve
as wind break and prevent soil erosion to withstand the increasing rate of
extreme weather conditions.
The GreenTech team was glad to be able to help Konteh with a first
step towards more sustainable solutions and thanks PCTG and the DoA for their
support. But this was just a first step and more help is needed to provide the
remaining 72 families with fuel efficient stoves. Also the woodlot and agro-forestry
plans can only be realised with support in form of consultation and finances,
as expenses for material and logistics will arise. The project should not even
stop with Konteh, as it is only one of many villages facing the same problem. Konteh
though can serve as a model village for sustainable development and others can
follow.
- Six fuel efficient stoves and a starter bag of briquettes were handed over as a first relief and for testing
As this initiative does not only serve Konteh and surrounding villages, but also mitigates the global problem of climate change, we believe it deserves the support from organisations and individuals around the world. In return, people from Konteh will invest their labour to establish a global carbon sink, as 10 seedlings shall be planted for
each stove for afforestation.
Therefore GreenTech is calling for support to provide cooperate social
responsibility:
For individuals we offer one-o-one partnerships with families: Donate a fuel efficient stoves with a starter bag of groundnutshell briquettes for only 600GMD / 15 Euro. The package can be extended with another 800GMD / 20 Euro per family for seeds/seedlings,
tools and fencing material to support the reafforestation program. Donations
will be delivered, whenever 40 donations are gathered, to ensure transport efficiency.
Excess donations will be invested in the next village project. Donors will be kept
updated on project processes per-e-mail and webpage publications.
For donor institutions, please contact the management for a work and budget plan to find out, which posts you may be able to sponsor.
Potential partner organisations may contact GreenTech to develop support activities together.
Act now! Children in Konteh are not only hungry, but suffer
malnutrition. Show that you care!
More information under www.greentechgambia.com
e-mail: [email protected] or per phone: ++220 6662622.