SANkofa

We are looking to solve the highlighted problems in three ways; by teaching local women how to construct briquettes, transforming waste into fertiliser and implementing a WASH programme.

 

Briquettes

 

Our briquette programme focuses on improving sources of cooking fuel. Currently, charcoal is frequently used as cooking fuel, contributing significantly to health hazards in a region where a third of all non-smoking women develop lung cancer. We help combat this by training local women to construct briquettes that provide a cheaper, more sustainable and safer fuel source for domestic cooking. The women collect excess coconut and rice husk in the region and use ovens, dryers and moulders, all of which we have provided, to construct the briquettes. Our briquettes also have the advantage of burning more slowly than charcoal and containing one-third less carbon, mitigating the risks of developing lung cancer.

 

WASH programme

 

Studies show that early childhood sensitisation has been proven to be the most effective way of ensuring what one is taught lasts for a lifetime. We intend to implement WASH programmes in schools and community centres. These will provide an interactive opportunity present for the community. Soaps which change colour will be used to encourage involvement from young children, both engaging and educating them surrounding the importance of practicing healthy hygiene sanitation.

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Fertiliser

 

With the help of our partner, the Green Africa Youth Organization, we will employ locals to build blocks of toilets containing chambers beneath them so that human waste can accumulate over time. These employees will collect the human waste which will then be split, treated and transformed into fertiliser.

 

Our fertiliser programme utilises natural waste to provide a sustainable, affordable, and widely available resource for agriculture. We have provided a prototype toilet in the Ashanti region and are currently looking to expand, with up to 70% of Northern Ghana practicing open defecation according to UNICEF Ghana. The fertiliser provides suitable nutrients for healthy crops and can be bagged and sold on to farmers in the community. This is especially effective as 97% of jobs in the region are in the agricultural industry. In a community which has an average daily wage of just £4, our fertiliser is 40% cheaper than the closest alternative, boosting crop yield and income for some of the poorest workers in the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The toilet under construction                                                     The toilet after being built