2018
Addressing inequalities and accelerating SDGs

Transformation des ordures en charbon écologique pour lutter contre la déforestation, l’insalubrité et pour créer des emplois verts

Briquette du Kivu
Africa
2018

Kivu, my region, is one of the poorest regions in the world. Here, a family earns less than $ 2 a day; 30% of this amount is spent on the acquisition of cooking energy. As a result, the family no longer has the means to invest in children's education and health. Being poor means being unable to contribute funds that are needed by the town hall to eliminate household waste. As a result, Families get rid of them by directly throwing them into the street! the consequence? Garbage piles up and health problems associated with an unhealthy environment start to arise. This waste, which is like a backdrop in the Kivu region, is at the root of malaria and diarrhea (the main causes of maternal and infant mortality). Kivu Briquette is a solution to all these problems. By collecting the waste produced by households, markets and schools of Bukavu and transforming them into green charcoal, the initiative cleans the city, puts cooking energy that is less expensive and less toxic for health and the environment within the reach of the community and combats deforestation (which is another major problem facing the entire country). Each year, DR Congo loses 500 000 hectares of its forests which is concerning since the paya forest may be considered to be the 'second lung through which planet earth breathes'.