Alternative Energy Source for Heating
The enterprise uses rice husks that would otherwise go to waste to provide an alternative domestic energy source in Malawi. Local youth are trained to produce rice husk briquettes and are later connected to potential consumers to whom they sell the products.
Profits from the sales are partially re-invested in the enterprise to finance its operation, and the remaining funds are shared amongst group members.
Alternative Energy Source for Heating offers an alternative energy source based on rice husks, which can substitute charcoal and fuelwood and therefore help prevent deforestation and air pollution. The enterprise plans on stimulating 50% of households in Northern Malawi to change to rice husk briquettes over the next 10 years.
- Empowering 1,000 local youth by training them in producing briquettes, soap and candles.
- Creating entrepreneurial opportunities and income for trained youth, allowing them to earn USD 200 a month in order to meet their daily needs.
- Reducing deforestation and carbon emission, and their impact on climate change, by substituting charcoal and fuelwood by less polluting rice briquettes.
- Producing valuable products from unused organic waste from rice husks.
- Reducing dependency on scarce forest resources for heating and cooking, and creating a new value chain out of organic waste
- Creating a new market for young entrepreneurs in Malawi.
Partners
Alternative Energy Solutions (AES) is a social enterprise which trains youth in the production of diverse energy sources.
Karonga Young Entrepreneurs manufactures rice husk briquettes and distributes them mainly to secondary schools and hospitals
The Foundation for Building Resilient Communities provides capacity building in entrepreneurship to participating youth and facilitates market access
The Ministry of Agriculture of Malawi supports and promotes the use of rice husk briquettes as an alternative energy source through environmental education.