Philomene Solmen, director of Groupement Espoir in Doba brought together 6 women to work with the ENVODEV team that came to Doba from the 2oth to the 23rd of April. Yanice Akono, ENVODEV´s national coordinator, and Kevin Bandedje, who is currently doing an internship with ENVODEV went to Doba with me to oversee the activities.
Philomene gathered rice-straw, Yanice organized the work site, and Kevin served as an interpreter as I oversaw the overall activities and recorded all important data. The women hardly spoke French, and Kevin was able to communicate with them in Fulbe, Arabic, Mongo and Ngambai. After 3 days we were pleased to find a consistant way of making rice-straw based charcoal, and now ENVODEV is organizing the implementation of the technique beyond Doba and will be conducting training courses for Groupements* across southern Chad.
If you would like to contribute to our efforts, make a donation, and we will be sure to keep you posted on all the progess we make. If you simply want to stay informed, register for updates under the Get Involved section on our website. The eco-charcoal project will generate economic activity, job creation, and a solution to Chad´s severe deforestation.
Thanks for your support!
David De Armey
International Director
*Groupements: A legally recognized association of people who unite efforts in any activity.