More VICOBA Visits

During our second week with EARD-CI, we visited two more VICOBA groups to learn more about the different environments and economic situations of the various villages EARD-CI works with. When we visited the second VICOBA on Monday, it was our third time driving out to the village. The first two times, the village was experiencing some social problems that prevented us from presenting to them. Luckily, this third time, they were able to give us some time to present. 

Because we had to squeeze seven people in the car, we only brought the single lever press which was smaller and easier to carry. As a consequence, the machine didn't have the appearance of a great tool to work with and required more effort for the VICOBA to use. Nevertheless, they seemed excited about the technology and said that they would try to see how they could prepare either that press, or the compound lever press whose manual we brought with us. They did want to see both presses in person this coming Monday for the carpenters to look at along with the drawings, but unfortunately, there was no one available to take us to the VICOBA. We will work with EARD-CI to make sure the appropriate next steps are taken with this VICOBA as we will not be able to visit. Compared to the first VICOBA, this VICOBA has fewer members, is located in a dryer, more barren environment, has less farming, and spends half as much money on firewood per week (6,000 shillings, same price of 2,000 per bundle). Villagers in this village also have an extensive process to cut down firewood which is that they have to appeal to the village leaders and then a leader has to come and see the tree to approve it being cut down.

The third VICOBA we visited was located in a green environment which was slightly dryer than the first VICOBA but had more agriculture than the second VICOBA. This VICOBA spent the same amount of money as the second VICOBA on firewood  (6,000 shillings for 3 bundles) which was half as much as the first VICOBA. This VICOBA had a similar village leaders appeal policy for cutting down firewood as the second VICOBA, but the leader didn't actually have to come to the tree. For this visit, we made sure to bring the large press and we presented how the press and briquette making process work. The VICOBA members were excited to learn more about this new technology and tried it themselves. They were more excited than the second VICOBA members, but less than the first VICOBA group members.

Overall, it seems like we have three solid village groups who are interested in briquetting and might be good groups for pilot programs. The first village we visited seems most eager and might be the best village to move forward with initially. If more than one pilot program can be initiated, both of the other VICOBAs seem to be excellent as well. While these villagers spend less money on firewood per week, firewood appears to be more scarce and briquetting might make a more significant impact in these areas. 

Single Lever Press

The Lulu VICOBA group has shown the most enthusiasm for our briquetting project. Making briquettes quickly became a competition amongst villagers to see who could exert the most force on the press and make the finest briquette. They made better briquettes than us. If they could have had it their way we would have left all our equipment so they could start producing briquettes right away. The only catch being that they wanted all the equipment for free. I don’t blame them since the compound lever press cost us over 100 USD to build. We left the visit with our equipment but unsure of what the best next step would be. We are hoping that by using local wood, a local carpenter, and by not being a ‘mzungu’ (foreigner in Swahili, usually Caucasian) they’ll be able to build the press at an affordable price.

That evening, I was looking through the vast collection of documents that have accumulated on DHE’s external hard driver and found a design for a single lever press. The single lever press uses significantly less wood, in exchange for requiring more strength to press. Less wood means less labor and that means a much cheaper press. In fact, approximately 35% cheaper than the compound lever press.

So, we had the press commissioned by our skilled wood worker, Kalalou. The press was recently delivered and tested. The feedback has been mixed. Though the press is less of a financial burden to the villagers, they immediately noticed how mechanically inferior it is to the compound lever press. We left the Lulu VICOBA with designs for both presses. They will let us know how much it will cost them to build each machine and we’ll see from there.

Here is a picture of the single lever press:

Meeting with Kakute

On Thursday, May 2^nd we had the opportunity to meet Mr. Manyanga, the managing director of Kakute.This social entrepreneurship company focuses on technology transfer for sustainable development. Kakute bridges the gap between local government authorities, the private sector, and NGOs and small-scale entrepreneurs through distributing appropriate technologies to local communities. Current projects include solar, biogas, improved cook stove, and briquetting technologies.

After presenting our work thus far on our briquetting project, Mr. Manyanga gave us some helpful feedback based on his years of experience disseminating alternative energy technologies. Foremost, he asked whether our organization was more interested in developing the technology or distributing the product. In our case, DHE will develop the technical aspects of briquetting, while EARDCI will contribute its understanding of the needs and cultural practices of local communities. Furthermore, Mr. Manyanga stressed the importance of pilot projects. Through first distributing a briquette press to a single VICOBA, DHE can receive valuable feedback on the press design, briquette mixture, and briquette burning techniques.Only after the design has matured may the technology be manufactured and distributed on a larger scale.

A few years ago, Kakute experimented with producing briquettes from paper waste and charcoal fines. However, briquette sales were not large enough to support a small business. Locals had difficulty accepting briquettes since they do not burn the same as wood. Although briquettes generate the same amount of heat as wood, they do not produce the characteristic orange flame. Additionally, briquettes do not burn very efficiently in three stone and charcoal stones, so locals needed to slightly adjust their traditional cooking styles. For these reasons, Mr. Manyanga suggested that DHE develop an insert for efficiently burning briquettes in existing three stone or charcoal stoves.

Mr. Manyanga emphasized that all of Kakute’s business decisions are motivated by its mission to positively impact the environment and the communities in which it works. For example, he does not support burning jatropha cake in briquettes since it has a number of other alternative uses as a fertilizer or raw material for biogas systems. One of Kakaute’s current initiatives is creating a 100% sustainable home, using biogas technology for cooking and solar technology for powering lights and cell phones. 

In moving forward with both our briquetting and stove projects, Mr. Manyanga advised us to be careful in deciding which organizations to partner with and not to limit ourselves to partnering with NGOs. We should consider partnering with businesses that have a social agenda, such as Kakute.  Mr. Manyanga encouraged us to keep him updated on our projects and to consult him once we have fully developed both technologies and are determining an appropriate distribution model. We were extremely grateful to have met Mr. Manyanga and learned more about Kakute!

Hike to Sapuk Waterfall

Today we went on a hike towards Mt Meru. Arusha is at the base of Mt Meru so there was no driving involved - a nice change after a week of commuting an hour via Daladala to and from EARD-CI's headquarters. As usual in the rainy season, the mountain's peak was cloud covered as we set out on our journey with our guide, David. We started in the center of Arusha and headed towards the outskirts, passing through parts of the city none of us had seen before (though everyone calls it ' town' here). The road grew quieter and greener, and soon we were on a steep hill surrounded by farms on both sides. We gained altitude quickly, and had an amazing view of Arusha and the surrounding landscape.

Just like New Hampshire, right? Arusha is the collection of buildings on the right.

At the top of the foothill we're on is a Maasai village that we eventually reached. The Maasai are a tribe with a strong presence in the area and are know for sticking to their customs. Our hostel continuously has a Maasai warrior on guard, so we always feel safe. Our guide taught us some of the Maasai greetings while we were hiking:

            takwenya ichi    --- for anyone (there are different intonations for ichi depending on who you're talking to, don't quote me here)

            eros subai          --- for a man

            yeye takwenya   --- for a woman

            koko takwenya  --- for an elderly woman

The response is usually sopatei (pronnounced souai). Often Maasai men wear traditional garb and enjoy when you greet them in their language. Greetings here are very important and very different than what we're used to in the west. There really isn't a 'hello' or 'good morning'. You are always asking people how they are or how their morning has been. The response is always something synonymous with good. For us, the beginner Swahili speakers that we are, it has been very rewarding to learn the standard greeting. Armed with those words, we can each hold the first few minutes of a conversation after which we undoubtedly hit a wall. 

While getting Swahili and Maasai lessons from our guide, David we were walking past homes like these:

At the top of the hill there was a large green where Julie Ann quickly made friends with some children while our guide was paying the village fees.After passing through the Masai village we saw this view:

If there were less clouds, we would've had a great view of Meru over top those trees on the left which is where we were headed, down that hill. After a fun, slippery, and steep descent through a jungle, we found a stream and this big boulder.

David thought we were all incredibly brave, for dousing our feet in the 'freezing' water. It seems Tanzanians have a different measures of cold and hot since the stream was not very cold. We all went for a dip in the water at the base of the waterfall. That was cold.

After the quick swim, I tried to discretely change into dry clothes, when three Tanzanian army officers turned the corner to my hiding spot. We all had a laugh! The area is strongly patrolled by the army because it serves as Arusha's water supply.

And another amazing view on our descent.

Snake Park

On our day off from work for Union Day, we visited the Snake Park and Masai Cultural Museum with James and Ferdinand, two interns at EARD-CI. Inside the snake park, we got to see some very large snakes, some cute snakes, and some very poisonous snakes like the black mamba, whose poison will kill a man in half an hour. We also saw some turtles, crocodiles, and a baboon, who’s hand we all shook. We also all held a snake around our necks, and Misha had it on his head too.

We then went on a guided tour through a Masai museum. It was interesting to see how they Masai lived. It was even more interesting to hear from Eliza and Kyle, Misha’s friend from Middlebury who we met at the restaurant, about the Masai, who they’d done homestays with. It was interesting to hear the differences of what is told to tourists and what happens in real life. The tourists are told that female circumcision no longer happens, though Eliza and Kyle said it was still fairly common, though less so now than in the past. The guide also told us of all the hard work the men did, but Eliza and Kyle mentioned to us how most of the work was done by the women. It’s been really great to learn about the culture.

After going through the museum, Julie Ann, James, Ferdinand, and I went on some camel rides. We had a great time going on a short walk with them! Misha was not too fond of the camels.

The Rest of Week 2

The rest of our week flew by because of a holiday on Thursday, Union Day, which celebrates the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. We spent the majority of the rest of the week practicing burns, working on briquetting a bit, and enjoying our time off.

On Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon we practiced burns with the coffee husk stove and camp stove in a small annex of EARD-CI. We tried burning small, medium, and large sized sawdust, rice husks, and coffee husks. We soon realized that the materials were not nearly dry enough as most did not catch fire, and the ones that did, namely the medium and large sized sawdust smoked heavily.

We set out some of the materials to dry in the sun we got on Wednesday and tried the burns again, both in the coffee husk stove and the camp stove. We got everything to burn in the camp stove after it was completely dry, although the rice husks choked out the fire and needed to be constantly stirred. We’re curious to try mixing the rice husks with something that allows for more airflow like the coffee husk and see if it’ll burn then.

We also spent Friday morning working on briquetting. We decided to let the compost pile we started be and not open it for another week to make sure that it will have composted to the appropriate degree to make 100% agro briquettes. We need to see how such briquettes could be made because the village in this area do not have easy access to paper or cassava flour. Although none of us know much about composting, we’re hoping that between our compost pile and the village’s compost, we’ll be able to put things together to make an agro based briquette.

We created a briquette mixture on Friday of small seed shells from the village, leaves from the village, and charcoal left over from our successful burns. Because we were trying to dry out the wood which was wet and starting to mold, we did not actually press the briquette. It did pass the various tests of squeezing, oozing, and dropping mentioned in the briquetting manuals.

In the afternoon, we went down the street to get some linseed oil to finish the press to make sure it didn’t mold further. The store we bought the oil from was owned by two retired Ivy League graduates, one from Cornell and the other from Yale. They were super excited to meet us and were giving us advice on the briquettes. They suggested to us to use cow manure as a binder. The agro waste is already pretty gross to touch for us, but this is something we are considering. They also told us to check out Carmatec which is the government’s alternative fuel center which could direct us to specific plants we might want to use in our briquettes or specific people we might want to talk to. It was wonderful running into these guys who were so helpful and wanting to speak with us again.

It’s really been quite weird who we ran into on Friday. After heading back to the backpacker’s hostel, we went to dinner at the Indian place across the street and Misha saw a fellow classmate from Middlebury there. We chatted with them for a bit and learned so much about what he and his friend were doing on the study abroad and what they’ve learned in the past three months here.  It was such a productive week. We’re anticipating a lot of work next week where we’re planning on visiting three villages, six NGO’s, and doing a stove demonstration. Hopefully all goes smoothly and we’ll get a lot of information on what’s happening in Arusha.

First VICOBA Demonstration

On Monday, we had our first demonstration of our briquette press to a VICOBA group. We arrived at their meeting and they were so intrigued that they stopped the meeting and wanted to go outside to see how the press worked.

Before heading outside though, we made sure to ask some questions about the feasibility of briquettes in the area. We found out that the average household spends about 2,000 tsh on a bundle of wood per day. They also told us that it is also somewhat difficult to collect their own wood since there are policies in place such as needing to plant one tree for every tree cut down, though these rules are loosely enforced or followed. The village this VICOBA serves is an agricultural region with plenty of waste plant materials although they don’t have access to much waste paper. We thought that their answers to our questions suggested that a briquetting program might be successful here.

The people in the VICOBA also thought that such a program might be a good alternative and took careful notes as we explained the benefits of briquetting and the process of briquetting. We passed around some partially dried briquettes and then made an example briquette with a paper, rice husk, saw dust mixture we brought with us. The VICOBA members were so excited to see how they were made that they lined up and made their own briquettes. Soon, they started a competition to see whose briquettes were most firmly pressed. There wasn’t a clear winner, but there was certainly a clear loser, us.

We left the VICOBA group anticipating how a briquetting program could work there. The group was already talking about composting its own materials and making its very own briquettes. They were hoping we would leave the press behind for them to practice as making one seemed to costly. Because we needed the press for visiting other groups, we had to say no. Their ask did make us wonder how we could cut down on the price of the press so that it could be more affordable.

We came back and researched some other press designs and settled to have another one made which would be easier to make and require half as much wood. On Tuesday, we met with Kalalu again and commissioned press number two. We are hoping to leave the presses with EARD-CI to distribute at some subsidized price to the most promising village groups.