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Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Who is buying briquettes?
During the past 6 months we have been facing difficult challenges with the sale of fuel briquettes in and around Goma. The most recurrent complaint from our customers with regards to briquettes has been smoke and efficiency. So we have just completed a re-training of our 600 pressing machine groups around Virunga, we have restructured the number of people working with the presses on the ground, and we have changed the ingredients of the fuel briquettes slightly. We have also reviewed the packaging, and cut the selling price. So we have been busy!
Fuel efficient stoves, donated by Mercy Corps, burn briquettes provided by WWF.
Gradually we have been signing up some new clients, including Caritas and International Medical Corps - who have stopped buying wood and swapped to fuel briquettes for their malnutrition centers. WWF is also supporting the schools in Kiwanja (north of Rumangabo) and donates fuel briquettes to those schools that are beneficiaries of the World Food Program’s food project “School Cantine”. And of course our Rangers also use briquettes. We distribute 450 sacks per month throughout the park.
Preparing food for 1,500 children every day… with briquettes
Our sales now average 1,300 sacks of fuel briquettes per month. Nevertheless, we should be increasing this number, and aiming at duplicating the quantity before the end of this year.
We are now targeting bakeries – a very popular business in Goma – and hope they will stop purchasing wood in favour of fuel briquettes. Below is a photo of some recent tests we did with the bakery owners.
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2 Responses to “Who is buying briquettes?”
Thanks a lot for this hard work in Virunga. I mean you are doing well so far, and encourage you to go ahead. This briquettes prpoject can paliate to charcoal utilization and our trees from the parc will certainly be saved.
Thanks
Thank you for the update. Hope you are getting better feedback from your customers now that have changed the recipe a little. Every day things get a little better!!