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Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
10 New Briquette Making Machines Set Up This Week
This week we have set up 10 new fuel briquette making machines in the surrounding areas of Virunga National Park: 3 in Rutshuru, 3 in Kiwanja, 2 in Kalengera and 2 in Biruma. These are all small towns and villages that use illegal charcoal - so are the perfect target for this very important pilot project that we have running here in Congo.
Briquette Making Machines arriving in Kiwanja - these have traveled over 60km in the truck.
Training the new group in Rubare to use the machines
An attentive group learning the theory behind briquette making - or pressing as we call it - in Rutshuru. This whole training session takes 2 days - including the practical and the theoretical.
Below the map shows with blue dots the location of the 14 presses installed at the beginning of this month, and with green dots, the 10 new ones installed this week.
So far, the first 14 presses have produced a total of 33 sacks, which we have already purchased from the producers. This is the first time they have received cash in hand for the work they have done so far. So we believe that it will be the big motivator to keep their spirits up and the production high. Remember we are expecting a minimum production of 500 fuel briquettes a day per machine, and an optimum producton of 750 per machine per day.
Paying one of the groups in Rumangabo for their briquette production
Each sack contains 440 fuel briquettes - this sack has the same dimensions as all the thousands upon thousands of sacks of illegal charcoal that we see in North Kivu. So psychologically this is very significant as people can relate to a sack of briquettes in the same way as charcoal.
Three briquettes are enough to prepare the typical local dishes, such as mboga, bugali or lenga lenga. The average family of 10 members would need one sack an a half on a monthly basis.
Jean Bosco checking on the size of the sack
We purchase each fuel briquette sack at USD$7.00, and wholesale it in Goma at USD$12.00. A sack of charcoal is currently priced at about USD$35.00 in the same market. So with a competitive price, we are hoping to get many customers soon!
We need to put this USD$5.00 margin to cover transportation costs and other capital costs to get this project off the ground. It is imperative that for this project to work it be treated as a business - that will flourish, grow and have the impact that is needed on the plundering of Virunga’s forests.
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News from Congo- Media for Liberty Award Honors '60 Minutes' 'Congo Gold' - CNNMoney.com (press release)
- Congo: Soldiers Seize Wounded Patients at Gunpoint - New York Times
- Paris Club agrees Congo Republic debt relief - Reuters South Africa
- A Chat with Congo Cash - Lakers.com
- Congo River Golf in Bonita open for business - The News-Press
- Some Creditors to Cancel Congo Debt - Daily Beast
- Kobe gets a court in the Congo - ProBasketballTalk (blog)
- Republic of Congo, South Africa: African Bond, Currency Preview - BusinessWeek
- Poaching of Elephants in Congo on the Increase, Researchers Say - BusinessWeek
- DR.Congo offensive 'leaves 90 rebels dead' - AFP
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16 Responses to “10 New Briquette Making Machines Set Up This Week”
It is good to see that the strategy Emmanuel presented at the beginning of the year is implemented so quickly. It is only the beginning of course but I think this initiative has huge potential because communities and the environment will benefit from it. I hope that these presses will be common in the villages surrounding VNP.
The charcoal business will probably not disappear completely but maybe it can be brought down to a sustainable level.
Thanks for the news!
Mark
Thanks Virginia. It is great to see you, Balemba and Jean Bosco making such resolute progress.
Thanks for the update Virginia and what progress you and the team are making! Really good to read updates on your progress and trust this initiative will flourish!
Sounds like it’s going well. Congratulations Virginia! I pray the business flourishes and the need for charcoal is eliminated altogether. An excellent report!
FELICIDADES VIRGINIA…. sigue adelnte con tus briguetas
Thank you ALL for the encouraging words! Many things to happen in March, so I will be here every week reporting with Balemba and Jean Bosco. From all of us, thank you for leaving your comments.
this is an incredibly important project on which the future of the mountain gorillas hangs. We’re incredibly pleased with progress, which could never have happened without the support of people on this website. Thank you so much…
thank you for that freat work you are making and for the information.
[...] will come up to 50 by the end of this month, with the 24 pressing machines already installed in February that I blogged about last [...]
[...] $92 for the actual press machine (you can see a picture of one here) [...]
[...] that we are installing 100 new briquette machines every month to reach our target of 1,000 pressing machines on the ground by the end of this year. [...]
Please, would you tell me the way to give you donatives through a bank account or some more “traditional” way?, I’m not connected to Internet at home, now I’m working and I can’t help anyway from here. Thank you very much!!
If, anybody interested to see FoST activities on briquette processing, briquette press, pulping tools, training workshops, types of briquettes from different raw materials, please contact us. Thanks, Sanu Kaji
please let me know the various parts of briquette press,as the hight &distance of two wooden piller,hight &diameter of piston,with &hight of briquettes.I am from Bangladesh.
Warm regards
Bye.
Always pleased to come and read the news at gorillacd.org. It looks very positive.
Today, I am specially impressed by this briquette press machine.It would be fair knowing all about this activity. How to buy this machine to make some experiences outside the Virunga aera. Looking forward to hearinf from you soon.
Always pleased to come and read the news at gorillacd.org. It looks very positive.
Today, I am specially impressed by this briquette press machine.It would be fair knowing all steeps about this activity. How to buy this machine to make some experiences outside the Virunga aera. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.