gorilla.cd
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.
Leave a Reply
-
RECENT DONATIONS
- Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ -
Protecting area no. 216 for one month
Grant H 25 $ -
Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Whitney 40 $ - Briquette Program
Unregistered Donor 12 $ - Protecting area no. 138 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 45 $ -
Patrol Rations
Bill W 30 $ -
Protecting area no. 220 for one month
Anna M 25 $ - Protecting area no. 82 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 60 $ -
1 Briquette Stove
Stephen P 7 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 100 $ -
Protecting area no. 47 for one month
John R 25 $ - Protecting area no. 12 for one month
Whitney 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Selina S 100 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Ranger Patrols
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 50 $ - Protecting area no. 125 for one month
Karel V 25 $ - Protecting area no. 219 for one month
Christine D 25 $ - Protecting area no. 165 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
Protecting area no. 1 for one month
Rosemary M 25 $ - Protecting area no. 51 for one month
Bonnie M 25 $ -
Protecting area no. 162 for one month
maria h 25 $ - Protecting area no. 174 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
Multiple items
Lou W 72 $ -
Open donation
Suzanne M 10 $ -
Protecting area no. 101 for one month
Retrosurfer 25 $ - Ranger Patrols
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 132 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Protecting area no. 2 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 50 $ - Briquette Program
Unregistered Donor 30 $ -
Protecting area no. 58 for one month
Harry v 25 $ -
Protecting area no. 91 for one month
Ally R 25 $ - Protecting area no. 217 for one month
25 $ - Protecting area no. 16 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Protecting area no. 187 for one month
Corey W 25 $ - Open donation
Maureen B 20 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 45 $ -
Protecting area no. 49 for one month
Minna Maaria K 25 $ - Protecting area no. 137 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 12 $ - 2 x Emergency Support to Ranger Widows
Rosemary M 40 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ -
Protecting area no. 54 for one month
Pirjo 25 $ -
Open donation
Happy Hollow Zoo 200 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 50 $ -
Briquette Program
Brenton H 12 $ - Protecting area no. 50 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 59 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Patrol Rations
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 20 $ - Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - Open donation
Caroline 50 $ -
Protecting area no. 31 for one month
De Zutter L 25 $ -
Open donation
Mary H 10 $ - Protecting area no. 116 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 94 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 203 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 10 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 83 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 30 $ - Open donation
Alex P 40 $ - Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Briquette Program
Unregistered Donor 30 $ -
Open donation
Juli&Family R 10 $ - Briquette Program
Liz W 12 $ - Multiple items
Shashidhar K 62 $ - Protecting area no. 20 for one month
Jessica 25 $ - Patrol Rations
Caroline 15 $ - Protecting area no. 179 for one month
Caroline 25 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Open donation
Birgit T 30 $ - Fuel for Patrols
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Protecting area no. 4 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Medical Kit
Samantha B 25 $ - Protecting area no. 1 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 65 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 20 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 10 x Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 100 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Open donation
Ian C 25 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ -
Open donation
Bronwyn P 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 35 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ -
Protecting area no. 70 for one month
Rebecca T 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 20 $ - Protecting area no. 112 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Briquette Program
Suzannah 12 $ - Protecting area no. 66 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $
- Salary Supplement for a Ranger
MEET THE TEAM
recent comments
Recent Posts
- Buhanga, the Solitary Silver..March 11, 2010
- Life is Good for the Gorilla..March 10, 2010
- Visit One of Africa’s ..March 8, 2010
tell a friend
News from Congo
- DR Congo govt backs UN force's exit - AFP
- Congo-Kinshasa: 'Hostile' Prosecution Witness To Testify Afresh - AllAfrica.com
- DR Congo hopes to see UN mission out in 2011 - People's Daily Online
- US slams rights abuses in Sudan, Congo and Nigeria - AFP
- To ease the struggles of their daily lives, the sapeurs of Congo look at their ... - Washington Post
- UN to start troop withdrawals from Congo in 2010 - Reuters
- CTC Suspends Congo Operation on Contract Non-Payment - BusinessWeek
- War crimes trial of DR.Congo's Bemba delayed - AFP
- Different 'armed thugs' in control of Congo mines - Dispatch Online
- Sex and Power, From North Carolina to Congo - Huffington Post (blog)
This website was funded by the European Union and the Prince Bernard Nature Fund.
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.