Briquette training a success!

In March, Jim Anderson of Portland, Oregon brought some new technology of creating a simple machine to make briquettes out of biomass (leaves, charcoal dust, woodchips and so on). Our partners in Tanzania eagerly adopted the press, and recently had an additional training seminar to get the business in motion. Our volunteer Emily in Tanzania just wrote this update:

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From Emily Deichsel (see her blog here)

The briquette training was completed the first week I arrived in Dodoma. The first three days were spent learning the process of making the briquettes.

First they learned the proper preparation of the materials, then using the press to make the briquettes and finally drying and cooking with them. There were demonstrations, seminars and lots of hands-on practice. Then there were two days of seminars covering the preparation of the materials, press of the briquettes and then also about business and marketing of the product. The last day they went to town to begin marketing the product. The idea was to let people know about the briquettes as a new product just to get the idea out there and see what customers might be interested. They went to places that cook for a large number of people like restaurants and hotels and talked to the cooks. They had samples to give prospective customers that were interested.

Friday they ended with a closing ceremony giving certificates of completion of the training. Now two weeks later a group of the youth are at the church making briquettes.

There is loud music playing and they have a pretty good system worked out. I think they have orders lined up of people wanting to try to cook with the briquettes.

From TZ Fuel Briquettes!

For more from Emily on her service with Grace & Healing Ministry - check out her blog here. Also, make sure you head over to MotoMpya.Wordpress.com. Jim Anderson is chronicling the process of the briquettes in Tanzania on that blogsite.