Modernizing the molasses industry in Upper Egypt
Introducing simple technology to improve molasses production through establishing a prototype that replaces the outdated squeezers, and use clean technology to prevent harmful gases emissions from being released. It makes use of byproducts as organic fertilizer. The final molasses product can be used in making cookies and other food sorts.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Reham
Last Name
Karram
Website
Organization
Amal for Sustainable Development (under construction)
Country
Egypt
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
Amal Association for Sustainable Development. It is an under construction formal non-governmental organization
Organization Website
Organization Phone
002-0100247693
Organization Address
23 July street, Qena, Egypt
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Organization Country
Egypt
Your idea
Name Your Project
Modernizing the molasses industry in Upper Egypt
Country your work focuses on
Egypt
Describe Your Idea
Introducing simple technology to improve molasses production through establishing a prototype that replaces the outdated squeezers, and use clean technology to prevent harmful gases emissions from being released. It makes use of byproducts as organic fertilizer. The final molasses product can be used in making cookies and other food sorts.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
It has multi dimension targets: it works on developing and modernizing a very old industry in Upper Egypt; it is an income generating process; it creates new vacancies for youth and specially householding women; it alleviates environmental pollution; it helps in producing a healthy and pure product, and finally it assists in developing the surrounding community as a whole.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
No
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Through the field studies I have done to the molasses squeezers, I found that most of the squeezers’ owners and workers are willing to modernize their work, hoping for better and healthy product. It is clear that using automated techniques will increase the production amounts and improve the quality as well. Moreover, the automated production techniques will create new vacancies for job seekers especially women. This will lead to paying more attention to gender equity issues in Upper Egypt. Generating income for families will lead to more prosperity which in turn will reduce the crime average. Introducing new technology is expected to direct illiterates to get at least the basic education to know how to deal with the machine. Using the organic fertilizers which will be produced from the remnants of the squeezing process will help in cultivating more of the surrounding desert land. In fact this project has a lot of impacts; upon the people, the environment, the economic that recommends it to be a vital change-maker issue.
Problem
The old molasses production that depends on manual, primitive, unhealthy, techniques faces many problems:
- Fully manual systems lead to high human risks
- Energy loss due to manual controlling of the boilers
- Loss of raw materials due to the primitive methods used in squeezing
- The resulting remnants are considered as a waste which affecting the environment in a bad way
- Environment pollution is appearing in the manual methods due to heating in open boilers and due to the methods of removing the remnants.
So modernizing the molasses industry faces other problems too:
• Financing the prototype plus the training of using new technology.
• Need for technical support throughout the production process.
• Excellent training programs are needed to qualify workers for the using new technology.
• There is also the issue of marketing and distribution of the final product.
Actions
I have done a lot of field studies and met the owners of the primitive squeezers plus the workers within it. I also made a lot of researches concerning the best technological way to replace the old-fashion squeezers with new automatic ones. These researches end up with a prototype model using clean energy. I am also trying to find resources or organizations to finance my project.
Results
- A study for the current situation for the squeezers and the squeezers' owners in Qena
- Raise awareness among owners and workers at molasses squeezers towards safety and healthy methods of production
- The squeezers’ owners and workers are willing to apply quality and standardization measures
- A unit for filtration and homogeny for molasses is established
- Cooperation with other NGOs to transfer experience
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
First year:
1- Hold awareness seminars and meetings with the interested partners
2- Hold workshops for the owners about the importance of modernizing the molasses industry
3- Establish the first prototype model for molasses filtration and homogeny
Second year:
1- Provide technical support for the workers and owners
2- Hold workshops for the workers about the importance of the molasses quality standards and how to apply these standards
3- Help in marketing the molasses products through participating in exhibitions
Third year:
1- Apply quality and standardization measures
2- Apply the prototype in other places
3- Cooperation with NGOs to transfer the experience to the workers and squeezers' owners
4- Provide marketing services
What would prevent your project from being a success?
- Financing the prototype
- The need for sustainable technical support
- Unqualified workers
- Lack of good marketing services
- Other organizations (NGOs, officials) are not willing to cooperate
How many people will your project serve annually?
1001‐10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$100 ‐ 1000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Idea phase
In what country?
Egypt
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
If yes, provide organization name.
How long has this organization been operating?
Less than a year
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
My organization is in under construction. Once it is legally authorized, I will try to be partner with other organizations. Making a good use of networking among NGOs, officials (governorate, undersecretaries, scientific research centers, the university), plus the business sector is considered the best way of exploiting every partner’s experience, qualifications, and facilities in order to generate success for such a project.
For example the university can help in establishing and developing the first prototype scientifically to overcome any technical mistakes. Some NGOs have experience in providing trainings, others in providing loans for owners to replace their old squeezers with the modern ones, others can provide technical support, and marketing services. The officials can help with facilitating the procedures of registering, documenting, and getting license. Also can provide help within participation in exhibition locally and internationally.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
1- Establishing the first prototype and getting a patent for it:
It is a very important step for me so that I can work freely
2- Financing the first stages of the project:
Getting the finance for the first stages of the project is very critical. Most of the loan providers are not willing to invest in a scientific project. They look for a fast money circle. So it is important to finance the first prototype. I am sure that the future sales of the final products (molasses, organic fertilizers, cookies), will totally cover the costs and also there will be benefits lift.
3- Technical support and marketing services:
It is important to have technical support throughout the first stages of establishing and operating the prototype in order to overcome any generating problem. It is also important to develop the prototype. After overcoming all the problems, the technical experience will be transferred to others through on-job trainings. The marketing services are needed to help the squeezers’ owners to get pack the money and effort they have invested in the modern squeezers.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
Meeting the workers and owners of molasses squeezers made me very close to the reality of how painful to be very poor, and helpless. The true willing to change and develop I found in those people urged me to try my best to help them. They are willing but they do not know how to get to the right path. I wanted to change their humble poor conditions, and develop their community. This is the spirit of true participation and change making I believe in.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
My name is Reham Omar Karram. I am a female from Qena, Upper Egypt. I have an MA, and I am about to end my PHD. I have been working with different foreign organizations in different programs to develop Qena community. I have been working within a variety of such programs as the Vocational Education, Training and Employment Programme (MKI-vetEP, GTZ), the Educational Reform Program (ERP, USAID), Egypt Enterprise Development Project (EEDP, CIDA), Early Childhood Education enhancement program (ECEEP, CIDA), the Business Development Service Support Project (BDSSP, CIDA).
My mother and father raised me on the love of doing charity. I really love to change my community and develop it to be better. I want to make a difference. The great challenge for me is to convince someone to participate in developing our societies. I believe that through participation, not only with finance, but also with time, effort, new ideas, we really can contribute to our communities.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Web Search (e.g., Google or Yahoo)
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
An advertisement at Al Ahram Newspaper.
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| manual_sequeezing_1.jpg | 118.45 KB |
| manual_sequeezing_2.jpg | 116.74 KB |
| manual_sequeezing_3.jpg | 118.07 KB |
| manual_sequeezing_4.jpg | 94.74 KB |
| molasses_manual_production_2.jpg | 25.24 KB |
| Molasses_manual_squeezer_1.jpg | 44.58 KB |
| Molasses_manual_squeezer_2.jpg | 25.29 KB |
| Polluted_gases.jpg | 64.44 KB |
| sugar_cane_remnants.jpg | 60.5 KB |
