News from Maputo

News from Maputo.

The annual monitoring activities have been now completed in the project area in Chamanculo C district!

In line with the Gold Standard registered monitoring plan,  the field team visited and interviewed more than 100 project families using the efficient stoves. Based on this second annual monitoring, we can tell that the families are always fulfilled with their efficient stoves and, therefore, the whole project proceeding in the best way.

Monitoring permits to verify the actual situation in the project area and, consequently, to quantify the CO2 reductions to be achieved by the project. As a next project step the monitoring report will be verified by Gold Standard after which the second tranche of the carbon credits of the project will be ready for the issuance!

Le attività di monitoraggio svolte annualmente sono terminate anche per il secondo anno. Sono state intervistate 100 famiglie che hanno preso parte al progetto “Improved Cookstoves”.

Le famiglie sono tutt'ora soddisfatte ed il progetto procede nel migliore dei modi. Questo permetterà di attestare la reale riduzione di CO₂ del progetto. Solo rispettando queste metodologie ufficiali, che prevedono rigorosi controlli, è possibile ottenere crediti di carbonio certificati da Gold Standard .

Day 5 in Maputo

The site visit of CarbonSink has come to its end. As a conclusion of the week, it has been great to see that the stoves distributed by the project are in use and appreciated by the local families. Moreover, it was a great pleasure to see both AVSI’s distribution and monitoring teams at work!   

Day 4 in Maputo

Participants of the weekly meeting of the stove promoters.

Day 3 in Maputo

This simpatic man is called Luis Josè. He has had the efficient stove for now for 5 months and in this time he has became a real promoter of the advantages of the new stoves - he told that more than 10 of his relatives and neighbours has bought the new stoves following his positive experience with the stove!

Day 2 in Maputo.

Today the first monitoring activities were launched in the project area by starting a procedure called “Kitchen Performance Test”. During this test randomly selected households will be visited for 4 sequent days and each day the consumed charcoal will be measured and recorded by the field team. With these measurements we’ll find out the actual charcoal savings achieved by the project!    

Follows few photos of the households visited today: 

CarbonSink in Maputo: Day 1

On Monday (27th of October) started the one week’s site visit of CarbonSink to Maputo! During this week we’ll make the first surveys to monitor the project and its impacts on the local level.

Here you can see the field team of AVSI getting familiar with the surveys questions. Tomorrow they will start the first measurement at randomly selected project households to confirm the actual daily charcoal consume of the efficient stoves! 

Improved Cooking Stoves Project reaches status "Listed"

The Improved Cooking Stoves Project in Maputo has reached the status of "Listed" meaning the LSC report (Local Stakeholder Consultation Report) has been reviewed and accepted by the Gold Standard, and then published on the web pages of the Gold Standard site. Now Gold Standard is reviewing other parts of the  projects design. 

At the same time, a "second feedback round" period will take place, lasting two months, during which everyone will be able to comment on the outcome of the consultation process.  The comments which can be send, should not be directly on the LSC, but more about how the feedback received during the LSC has been taken into account in the project planning. These comments can be sent to the email address ulla (@) carbonsink.it from  September 10th  - 2014 to Novembre 10th  -  2014. 

The link to the LSC (Local Stakeholder Consultation Report) published on the Markit Environmental Registry website: link.

The promoters team

Here’s the complete Promoters team and their testimony: 

ANANIAS: 

I’m really grateful as I can work and contribute to my family’s and school expenses. 

ARMANDO:

Being a part of the project has been a nice and satisfying experience. Being in contact with the residents of this neighbourhood is still enjoyable and it's teaching me more about the life of the residents and the size of Chamanculo C.

CARLOS: 

I believe the project is helping a lot of people that where earlier struggling with the high fuel expenses  caused by the use of the inefficient traditional stoves. Now only good words are spent where the new stoves are installed.

DANIEL:

I feel that is a privilege to meet people from different ethnic groups living in the neighbourhood, and  to know that our work leaves a happy clients, and most of all, helps the people of Chamanculo C to improve their life conditions.

EDSON:

The project initiative is particularly praiseful because it intervenes in  a community which needs desperately help: currently the local families are spending a large part of their salaries for purchasing  the domestic cooking fuel.

ERCìLIO:

I feel very honored to be part of this great project of improved stoves. I think this is a great project that should not only be implemented in Chamanculo C, but also throughout the country.

MARGARIDA: 

To someone the selling activity may seem easy at first, they  might think it is only to arrive, deliver the stove and leave, but is not quite the truth. An effort is necessary and you need give information and reassure buyers about the product that you sell.

ROSA:

Our community knows that this project is something that should be treated as a treasure, not only because we bought the stoves but also as it's something that helps us a lot to progress in life. I hope we're not the only beneficiaries and that more communities will be involved later.

TIMòTEO:

First of all, I have had an opportunity to know my neighborhood and the people who lives here, I have acquired new experiences that helps me overcome the difficulties of everyday life. 

The distribution of the cooking stoves in Maputo is progressing at a good pace!

“Buone notizie da Maputo: da ormai una settimana abbiamo raggiunto l’obiettivo delle 45-50 stufe distribuite al giorno!

Questo é stato possibile grazie alla contrattazione di 4 promoter aggiuntivi.

Ma, per non saper ne leggere ne scrivere, ho appena firmato due contratti con altri due Promoter, portando il totale dei Promoter a 10 a partire dal 21 luglio.

Ovviamente prima di quella data avremo già risolto i problemi logistici che questo incremento comporta: GPS, carriole, aumento giacenze magazzino di campo, aiuto per il logista di campo e gestore del database, camion piú grande per il trasporto delle stufe." 

Good news from Maputo! As one can read from the testimony of a social worker of AVSI, the distribution of the cooking stoves is progressing at a good pace thanks to the help of the AVSI “promoters”, local young workers, hired for selling stoves to families. From July 21 onwards the promoters will be 10 with an estimated sale of more than 40/50 stoves per day!

What follows are the photos of the new stoves being transported to the buyers, subsequent completion of the contract with the various data including those for tracking with GPS, delivery of the new stove and the withdrawal of the old.

News from the field regarding the distribution of the stoves

A testimony from a social worker of AVSI gives a insight into the benefits of the project as well as the everyday challenges faced in the area.

Carissimi, 

l'obiettivo è certo quello di completare la distribuzione delle prime 5.000 stufe entro la fine di ottobre... 2014! Alla fine della prossima settimana saremo in grado di valutare le capacità e la velocità dei nostri attuali promoter (4 + 1 che deve restare al centro smistamento). Naturalmente abbiamo un piano B che è quello di aumentare il n. dei Promoter anche se questo comporta difficoltà logistiche e ulteriori costi non previsti.

Senza voler insegnare nulla a nessuno, mi permetto di ricordare che siamo tutti coinvolti in un BELLISSIMO progetto di natura sociale che prevede tra l’atro, azioni di sensibilizzazione e formazione alle famiglie. Attività che richiedono tempo e pazienza: passare da una “tecnologia” ad un’altra, non è roba da poco in un contesto dove le stufe tradizionali sono così incredibilmente inefficaci anche rispetto ad altri contesti africani; così come firmare una liberatoria per i crediti di carbonio; o pagare un contributo educativo per chi è abituato a ricevere tutto gratis. 
Gli obiettivi sono molto ambiziosi, ma, da una prima sensazione, ce la possiamo fare.

Vi prego, inoltre, di considerare che questa distribuzione avviene in una favelas africana, attravesto ragazzi africani a beneficio di famiglie africane. Quindi, le tempistiche sono africane, i problemi sono africani, i contrattempi africani. Basta pensare che gli abitanti di Chamanculo C hanno l'acqua alle ginocchia non appena piove. Anche oggi i Promoter non hanno potuto lavorare per via della pioggia. Alcuni cercheranno di lavorare domani. OK, “Si sapeva“ direte voi “Questo è strutturale in Africa, quindi era considerato nel cronogramma”. Sì e no: anche per uno come me che lavora da 7 anni in baraccopoli africane e passa il tempo (ahimè!) non a lavorare ma a risolvere improvvise emergenze e fantasiosi problemi, non è stato facile prevedere tutti gli aspetti logistici: ogni promoter ora ha un aiutante che trasporta le stufe con la carriola. Lo abbiamo pensato ed introdotto questa settimana. Per motivi di sicurezza non trasportano mai più di 2 stufe. Per motivi di sicurezza non trasportiamo mai più di 100 stufe dal magazzino centrale al magazzino di campo che è custodito, ma ancora mancano dell sbarre alle finestre... Avremmo dovuto farle fare prima di cominciare ma visto il ritardo abbiamo preferito farne a meno con tutti i rischi del caso.

Considerate, inoltre, che al di là dei vari passaggi burocratici e di contenuto delle consultazioni pubbliche, prima di iniziare abbiamo dovuto convocare di nuovo e per tre volte tutti i capi quartiere, spiegare tutto il processo. Ci hanno imposto che la distribuzione iniziasse da loro e non dalla gente comune: trovare le case di 76 capi quartiere in una baraccopoli dove vivono 26.000 persone accatastate e senza toponomastica non è impresa facile. Qui non ci si muove nei quartieri senza il "permesso del capo quartiere". E per fortuna il "Capo di 10 case" (ce ne sono circa 350) ha perso un po' di potere...

Insomma, abbiamo il nostro bel da fare, ma ne siamo felici perché attraverso questo progetto le famiglie avranno un significativo aumento del reddito disponibile, ridurranno le emissioni di gas nocivi, contribuiremo a ridurre la deforestazione ed avremo la possibilità di condividere un pezzo di strada con 35.000 persone. Ovviamente, teniamo in massima considerazione anche tutte le scadenze ed i processi - che fate bene a ricordarci – necessari per la distribuzione perché ben consci che anche le belle azioni hanno costi che vanno finanziati. Altrimenti restiamo solo con una manciata di buonismo e nulla più.

Maputo project video

What follows is a video about our precious experience directly on location. We hope you'll feel the same excitement that we have felt.

MAPUTO 1 from carbon sink on Vimeo.

The first efficient stoves are in use!

The first efficient cooking stoves has been distributed on 26^th of March to the local families participating the Gold Standard project. The distribution team will keep on working hard during the next months and around 3.000 families are foreseen to receive the new efficient stove by the end of the year 2014.

Meeting with the local authorities

The AVSI Foundation met with the local authorities and community leaders on 24^th of January. Lots of questions were made and answers got - equally from the side of the local authorities as from the side of the project implementer, AVSI Foundation. Everybody agreed that the interaction is the key for the successful project.

Local stakeholders meeting

The latest meeting with the local stakeholders was held on 27th January. More than 200 persons interested about the project were present despite the particularly hot day!

The project splits to separate CDM and Gold Standard projects

The cooking stove project in Mozambique was planned originally to be developed as one CDM Programme of Activites. For the operational reasons the project partners has decided to be split the project into two separate projects, the first one with Gold Standard and the following one with CDM. From now on you can follow in this blog also the proceedings of the new Gold Standard project!