• This year I’m donating part of my income to charity.
• Every month I chose another cause.
• Then I blog about it.

São Francisco always lived in the shadow of his bigger brother. Everyone talks about the bigger one: he brings more fish, is larger, is more impressive. Only São Francisco’s friends care for him. When he gets beaten up or is in trouble, they are there for him.
The name of the big brother is Amazon the biggest river of Brazil. São Francisco is the name of the little brother, it’s the 3rd biggest river in Brazil. Culturally, the São Francisco is the Nile of Brazil, their Mississippi, their Ganges. It represents Brazilian history and identity, a place of extremes of climate and geography. A third of its population depends on it. But São Francisco is in trouble.

São Francisco is in trouble

Recent economic development in the São Francisco River basin in Brazil has brought major benefits to its primarily urban population. The price, however, has been high. Pollution and land degradation threaten not only natural habitats, but also people’s livelihoods, water supplies and health.

Urban sewage, industrial effluents and agrochemicals (mainly in irrigated areas) have seriously polluted some of the major tributaries of the São Francisco River. The region’s traditional fishery is in decline and reports of conflicts over competing uses of water are becoming more frequent as the quality and quantity of the available supply decreases. There is also a drastic reduction of water in dry periods. Moreover, land degradation is undermining the region’s rich biodiversity of both plants and animals and is adversely affecting agricultural production.

The river basin degrades

Large areas along the river suffer from land degradation. This is a process in which the land is affected by a combination of human-induced processes such as agriculture, commercial actives and pollution. It is a harmful change to the environment that can be seen through a loss of vegetative cover and soil nutrients as well as the disappearance of a range of species or reduction of an ecosystem’s complexity.

The people living at São Francisco have always been exposed to difficult times such as drought and floods. But todays combination of human-related of problems are affecting everyone around it as it means a decline in the productive capacity of the land and the river itself.

Local solutions to recover the river basin

The land degradation, pollution and decline in biodiversity can be countered. Pur Project partnered with Nordesta Association. Their co-operation has the following objectives:

1. Regenerate degraded areas.
2. Maintain and increase biodiversity.
3. Improve water quality and quantity in the river and it’s sources.
4. Help local farmers.

Plant for the planet

The Association runs a plant nursery that can provide thousands of seedlings and store millions of seeds. One of the most important projects is the “Plant for the planet” program: bringing back plants and trees is a crucial step to help with their goals.
It enhances soil quality and prevents erosion. Roots keep soil in place and prevent it from being swept away. This reduces loss of land and keeps moisture trapped for longer. The plants also act as natural filters for water that helps to improve the water quality. Covering large areas with biomass helps maintaining biodiversity and allows the reintegration of animal species, e. g. the manned wolf, diving ducks, monkeys and others.

Another initiative is working together with small and medium sized farmers. They offer parts of their land to have trees planted which helps their land to improve and attract local wildlife. Beehives and the accompanying not only diversifies farmer’s incomes but also increases agricultural yields through pollination. Nordesta can also help with increasing standards to pass certification for organic farming as well as complying with Brazil’s environmental law.

Impact & Results

Pur Projet & Nordets can show results:

• over 400.000 trees planted.
• recover degraded areas and plenty of water sources.
• worked with hundreds of farmers.
• restored habitats to preserve wildlife.

Who is behind those organisations?

Nordesta Reforestation & Education association was founded in Geneva in 1985. They launched many programs aimed at the socio-economical development and are successfully offering education and professional training around local environmental issues. Today Nordesta runs local plant nurseries that attract more and more locals wishing to reforest their area. Nordesta can provide them the know-how and technical assistance needed to be successful.

Pur Projet was founded in 2008 with the goal to address climate issues through regeneration and preservation of ecosystems. They mainly develop “insetting” activities, aiming to offset socio-environmental impacts caused by companies locally. So far dozens of projects have helped to regenerate, revitalise and preserve ecosystems in partnership with disadvantaged communities.

Together the Nordesta association and Pur Projet work on improving the situation in the São Francisco river basin.

From the archive

This is an archived post. It was published on a different blog that no longer exists. I tried to restore it but some details were lost.

• This year I’m donating part of my income to charity.
• Every month I chose another cause.
• Then I blog about it.

Off the grid

Do you know what it means to live without electricity? You probably grew up with a power socket near you. But you might know this from a camping trip or a weekend in remote place yourself: Once the sun is gone you have to rely on other means of lighting.

For over 600 million people in Africa this is the daily life (this is over 90% of Africa’s rural population). Worldwide it’s more than 1.5 billion people that need to conduct business or perform tasks after dark. Once the sun is gone they turn on lamps. Their only choice as a source of light is often kerosene, paraffin or candles.

Effects on your body

These inefficient lights emit toxic particles and this way millions of people are exposed to a high concentration of these particles. A kerosene lamp for example is estimated to be similar to inhaling the smoke from 298 cigarettes full of black carbon annually. One lamp is estimated to emit 200 Kg of carbon per year. Proximity and regular use leads to health effects as respiratory disease.

Besides damaging health they don’t even do a good job – they often don’t emit enough light to perform simple tasks after dark. You might need more than one. Lamps fuelled by kerosene or paraffin or a candle means you are still straining your eyes when you study.

High price

And the families have to pay a high price for this little light they get: Between 10 and 15% of a family’s income is spent on fuel such as kerosene and candles or batteries for torches.

All you need is sunlight

All this can be fixed with solar light: they are safer, cleaner and affordable. Just one lamp can transform the life of an entire family. Solar lights won’t be able to fix all energy problems but it will ensure that poor off-grid-communities can develop and prosper.

Safe and Clean

Families replacing kerosene and paraffin lamps with solar lights show signs of improvement in respiratory health. There are no more fumes irritating throat, no more soot inhaled into your chest. No smoke means no irritated eyes anymore and no CO2 released into the environment. No more risk of fires or burns because solar lights don’t run hot.

Less Money, more light

All the money you save on kerosene, paraffin or candles can now be spend on other things. Per year this can mean around $70 per family and this can now be spent on better food or other necessities. The money you save in less than 3 months is enough to buy a solar light that can last 5 years.

And these lights are more efficient. They are always bright and allow you to read without straining your eyes for cooking or working after sunset.

Bright light for brighter kids

Light after sunset means kids can study and do their homework. Since the lights are safe to use children can use them by themselves without supervision.

“Some learners are now selected to good schools within the district, a thing that has created history at our school” Patrick Nyerenda – Head Teacher, Malawi

“All my pupils can now finish their homework at home and their performance has also improved.” Josephine Kimutai – Teacher at Roret Primary Kericho, Kenya

“The kerosene lamp used to hurt my children’s eyes, but nowadays, they study long hours with the solar light.” Joseph Karui – Head Teacher, Bomet County

Who is helping on the ground?

SolarAid is an international charity that targets poverty and saving the environment. They are providing access to solar lights in some of the most remote regions of the world and are creating a sustainable market for solar lights in Africa.

SolarAid wholly owns an African social enterprise, SunnyMoney, the largest seller of solar lights in Africa. They sell lamps at a sponsored price to build a sustainable market. With the demand for solar lights increasing, more companies enter the market creating more access to light than before. This drives local awareness, increases the reach and creates jobs within the SunnyMoney organisation and other companies.

SolarAid can deliver results

Impact since SolarAid started:

• 10 million people with access to safe, clean solar light.
• Millions of families with improved health.
• $345 million saved by families *
• 2 billion extra study hours for children *
• 880,000 tonnes of CO₂ averted *

* In total over the lifetime of the solar light.

Why I chose SolarAid

I find this example fascinating because of the impact technology can have. For us it would not be much more than a little gadget: a little lamp that can be recharged just by exposing it to sunlight, over and over again. Cute. Nice idea.
But in the right hands it means a healthier life and saving money. It can even change the life by providing children light for studying after sunset.

I also like the way they make your contribution visible. Here is my donation in context of where my contribution goes and the impact. If you want you can join the fun, follow the link and bring some light into poor families homes

From the archive

This is an archived post. It was published on a different blog that no longer exists. I tried to restore it but some details were lost.

• This year I’m donating part of my income to charity.
• Every month I chose another cause.
• Then I blog about it.

40 cigarettes a day

Imagine a small village in India. In a hut are women and children sitting around a fireplace cooking their meals. The smoke generated by the open fire lingers in the room. There is no chimney and ventilation is poor. This happens every day, every week, year over year. Food is heated this way across India and Africa. An estimated 500 million households use these primitive indoors stoves fuelled by wood, coal, crop waste and dung, some in the remotest places on earth.

The toxic air can be as bad as smoking the equivalent of 40 cigarettes a day. It destroys lungs causes heart diseases and can result in low weight at birth. According to United Nations, smoke from these fireplaces kills almost 2 million people and sickens millions more per year. Women staying at home looking after the food are mostly affected but children staying close to their mothers are equally vulnerable.

Scars in the landscape

Besides destroying human tissue, it also destroys the environment: chopping plants for firewood leads to environmental degradation in the long term. Large areas on those continents are now stripped bare of trees, much of which has occurred in the last 50 years. The resulting scars of deforestation across the land means valuable and important fertile soil is washed away with every rainfall.

Tons of soot from every village spewed into the atmosphere causes further problems. There are no exact numbers of how much CO2 emissions these stoves generate, estimates range from 2 to 5%. Over half of all wood harvested worldwide is used as fuel. Up to a third of the wood fuel harvested is unsustainable – that is when more wood is used than grown – causing degradation or deforestation. The solution to this does not require expensive technology. It is all about using the fuel more efficiently.

26 bricks is all you need

The charity I support this month is Ripple Africa. They are tackling the problem of unsafe and inefficient fireplaces in Malawi. The charity created a stove made of 26 mud bricks and a mud mortar mix; this is an adapted version of a 16-brick design by Dr. Larry Winiarski. All of which can be locally sourced and produced. It is called the “Changu Changu Moto”; it means “Fast Fast Fire” in Chichewa.

These cook stoves are much more efficient and cleaner than the open fire they used before, saving time and money as well as saving lives. Volunteers from the local communities are trained to build a Changu Changu Moto cook stove and can build them in the local communities. Householders are trained on maintenance and how to fire the oven. Ripple the monitored the houses and records progress.

Cleaner fuel-efficient cook stoves mean…

• Improving the health of women and children by burning fuel more efficiently and producing less hazardous some. The Changu Changu Moto fire is contained, greatly reducing the risk of burns while cooking.
• Reducing deforestation in Malawi. Over 90% of families in that region depend on wood for cooking. Every household that has a Changu Changu Moto needs 67% less wood. That resulted in savings of over 80.000 bundles of firewood – every week.
• Sustainability – The stoves are built from a simple mud mortar mix, and can be easily repaired by householders. RIPPLE Africa delivers the education that will ensure the stove will be used for life.
• Timesavings – women can save up to 10 hours per week on collecting firewood. The cooker also means meals take less time to prepare. The time saved can be spent on other activities.
• Saving money – In urban or heavily deforested areas wood is especially expensive. Poor families benefit from almost 70% savings on wood fuel.

Ripple Africa goes further and is educating families about sustainable living and discusses with them why people should use them. Communities are learning about the problems of deforestation, and why it’s import to live sustainable and environmentally friendly. This way Ripple ensures the long-term success of the project.

The charity helped over 30,000 households to replace their inefficient three stone fires with a Changu Changu Moto cook stove. They are now living healthier, spending less money, save time and save the environment.

Who is behind this?

Ripple Africa was born in 2003 and is a charity registered both in the UK and USA. Their staff of 150 Malawian is supported by 2.000 local Malawians, all working on the projects described. They started small and are growing one project at a time. They show long term and describe themselves as ‘realists, not idealists’.

Why I chose Ripple Africa

I like their approach of sourcing material locally and working with the communities on long term solutions making sure it’s sustainable. Their approach of growing the charity organically and addressing mistakes as they came along worked. A great cause for my #yearofcharity. I wish them all the best for the future.

From the archive

This is an archived post. It was published on a different blog that no longer exists. I tried to restore it but some details were lost.

• This year I’m donating part of my income to charity.
• Every month I chose another cause.
• Then I blog about it.

For this month I chose Tree Aid. They focus on poor families in the African drylands, especially Women. The aim is to reduce poverty & protect the environment by using the potential of trees. The organisation provides education, training and technical advice around planting and maintain the saplings so they survive and grow. Goal is to support poor communities to build incomes, secure access to natural resources and provide nutritional security.

Why trees?

Everyone knows trees and plants that produce some form of food (fruits & nuts) or other products such as shea butter or just the raw timber. Fruits rich in vitamin B and C can be dried and pressed together into balls for later use. Seeds are used to make a dye and the wood is used to make tools and utensils.
Even during droughts, when other crops fail, trees can survive. This can provide a village a steady flow of something to harvest.

Amongst the species Tree Aid plants you find Moringa trees, sometimes referred to as ‘miracle trees’ as they are packed with vitamins, amino acids, anti-oxidants and protein. Villagers can grow and maintain them without the need for further intervention if they have the right equipment and training. If all works as planned their plants provide:

• Food to harvest
• Money from selling products
• Health coming from natural medicines

And it’s good for the environment too:

• Soil making the land more fertile,
• Shade for humans and wildlife as well as crops.
• Acting as windbreaks that stop soil blowing away.

Bikes in the savannah

This charity works with teams based in the drylands of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Niger and the isolated areas of Ethiopia. They help to generate a sustainable income and therefore help communities in remote areas to thrive.
The charity aims to be sustainable and cost-effective. This means they provide trees and seedlings for growing food and improving the environment. They train locals how to grow and to care for them. Helping to set up tree nurseries and earn an income is a central part to achieve sustainability.
Donations going to Tree Aid might be used provide tools such as buckets, pestles and mortars as well as wheelbarrows – even bicycles to provide an environmentally friendly and low-cost way to travel between nurseries and orchards. But an underestimated part is also to defend people’s rights to access: If you can’t reach the plants, or if someone else harvests its produce, it would render the efforts useless.

What happened so far?

Tree Aid has used their expertise in trees to fight poverty since 1987. They used their know-how to show the benefits that trees can bring. Along they learned that aligning motivation of people with actions results in commitment from locals and can cause a real, tangible change.

Since then…

• Over 10 million trees have been planted across Africa.
• Millions more have regenerated naturally thanks to improvements in natural resource management.
• More than 1,000,000 can grow more food thanks to better soil and water management.
• Over 500,000 villagers have been educated to use trees for food, health and income and are able to feed their families

Let’s take a closer look at a Project

Here is an example of the work in Ghana for Community Self-Reliance Project: Northern Ghana is a dry savannah zone that occupies around 40% of the country. The south is very different and the climate varies. There is a period of very strong, dry winds known as the ‘harmattan’.
Farming and crop rotation was possible in the past because of a lower population density but that changed. Farming methods changed under the pressure of a larger population and turned the landscape to semi-arid. It’s an enormous challenge to provide food.
Farmers are driven to clear more land by cutting and burning trees as there are not many options for employment. But this leaves the region bare and prone to erosion and worsens the food situation and causes even more problems.
Tree Aid set up Community Self Reliance Projects across 17 villages in that region through their partner the CSRC (Community Self Reliance Centre).

Together they support communities to develop the skills necessary for sustainable tree and land management. Through the sale of tree products such as honey and organic mango they can diversify their sources of income.
The soil fertility and yields are increased thanks to organic farming techniques and agroforestry. Plants around schools and near public buildings are preventing further erosion and offer protection from the harsh conditions.

Who is behind all this?

All this was triggered by a famine in Ethiopia in 1987 – a group of foresters responded: After the emergency relief efforts ended they provided a long-term solution. Key to their strategy was and still is planting trees to reduce vulnerability to communities to drought and famine.

Why did I choose this project?

The reason why I choose Tree Aid is that it addresses several issues at the same time: protecting the environment, helping others in need and offer a sustainable long-term solution. They have a good track record of what they achieved and are transparent about their donations and progress. This charity is a good start for my #yearofcharity.

From the archive

This is an archived post. It was published on a different blog that no longer exists. I tried to restore it but some details were lost.

• This year I’m donating part of my income to charity.
• Every month I chose another cause.
• Then I blog about it.

Gifts that grow

For Christmas 2015 I donated money to have trees planted in Africa, one for each of my family members and one for my friends and their children. It was received very well amongst my family & friends. It felt great – spending money for a good reason, knowing it will bring a positive outcome.

Monthly budget

It was not the first time I donated something. In fact I’m donating money on a regular basis to protect animals. This I’m very passionate about. The conclusion is: I want to do it again! But what charity should you choose?
In addition to donations, I took part in a few charitable events over the last years: running, climbing, swimming – all for good causes. By the way, what is a good charity anyway? You have to answer this question for yourself. For me it is anything starting from humanitarian causes to protecting animals. How we can protect the environment is one of my interests and that is why I want to be focusing on projects that also helps the environment.
Donating a part of my income would be a good starting point. Something I can afford will be my budget for every month. I also wanted to find out what can be achieved with my contribution, what impact it might have depending on where the money is invested in.

Are you a good botanist or scientist?

Most things I care about and want to support are challenging to do in the sense that planting trees in Africa is barely feasible for a working professional like me. Even if I take time off, fly there and plant a tree myself, chances are that the inexperienced person I am won’t be any good at it.

And taking into account the emissions I would produce by travelling there in the first place would make it a useless endeavour. How about building a well in Africa or researching cancer – I don’t want to think about the trouble this could cause when someone let me dig for water or let me into a lab. Let’s leave that to the professionals, shall we?

Finding the right one

Soon I found out it’s not easy to find a charity worth supporting. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of great organisations out there doing an outstanding job! Just think of the kind of cause you are interested in. You will find thousands of results by searching online for a fundraising project of your interest.
The real challenge is finding the “right” one, something that resonates with you. How would we know what project makes most sense, what organisation can actually deliver on their promises? Additional research is needed. This is exactly what I will be doing this year:

1. Find a project/cause to support,
2. Research and background check,
3. Support and blog about it.

From the archive

This is an archived post. It was published on a different blog that no longer exists. I tried to restore it but some details were lost.