Briquette Project UPDATE

David MacDonald • April 28, 2021

Thank you for helping to make Grace's dream a reality.

Thank you to all our wonderful donors who are helping to make Grace’s dream a reality. Below is an update from Grace telling how the project is progressing thanks to your generosity.

About Grace and her Vision

Grace Mwanguti a woman rice farmer in Karonga, Northern Malawi wants to start a business to turn the waste product from rice milling into a useful fuel for cooking. The idea is not new, but what is really different is that this will be a business to be run by women for women. It will help ease the lives of women rice farmers who for generations have had the back-breaking job of collecting firewood in the hills and also help to stop the denudation of the hill slopes itself a serious environmental and climate emergency issue. The business will also give women training in management and computing skills, and potentially more confidence in their abilities in a society where women do not traditionally have equality of opportunity with men.

The project encompasses building two brick sheds, provide two briquette making machines, storage, management computing facilities and training and running for the first four months of work. Through this project we will:

• Support the development of an emerging woman’s business

• Make the daily lives of women less arduous

• Contribute to the manufacture of inexpensive cooking fuel for families

• Reduce the problems created by undisposed, rotting rice hasks

• Help upskill members of this rural community, particularly women

• Support ongoing work against climate change by reducing deforestation.

Progress so far ...

The two groups of women have been working hard on the construction of the buildings to house the briquette machines and we are amazed at the rapid progress. At Kaporo, which was the first to start, the roofing timbers are on the building and the women have purchased iron sheets for the roof. At Lupaso, the walls are complete and the roofing timbers will be the next phase of construction.

The women would like to be able to complete the buildings and purchase the briquette machines by the end of June when the rice harvest is in.

Can you help us with this last stage of our fundraising to make this happen?

DONATE NOW

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