My waste My Treasure

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My waste My Treasure

Kitwe, ZambiaZambia
Organization type: 
for profit
Project Stage:
Start-Up
Budget: 
$50,000 - $100,000
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

To provide a cheaper energy alternative; contribute to job creation especially for women and youths, poverty reduction, recycling and environmental conservation by manufacturing products to arrest deforestation and land filling.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if everyone especially women got involved in working towards sustainable development?
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

It’s a mild mannered community everybody goes on with their day to day activities minding their own business and I observe they are more environmentally aware than they used to be. Our Women and youth on the other hand I’d say am disappointed because only a few are taking lead in advocacy programs and making something out of their lives maybe because they see no hope for the future i mean employment because opportunities for them are limited.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Addressing the needs of youth and women unemployment by providing decent jobs, climate change by providing renewable energy, and deforestation by introducing an alternative energy resources from the commonly used charcoal from charcoal burners, Landfilling by sawdust by manufacturing sustainable products and poverty reduction by ensuring employment for local people thereby improving their livelihoods and that of those who depend on them.
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

One of our employees Female employees 26 has only attended primary School, She lost hes parents when he was !6 and could not continue with his education.At the age of 16 he become a street kid and was involved in drugs and prostitution.She says Working for the company and having gone through the training has inspired her to one day run his own company. She says you don't need to have a degree or PHD to have a successful life.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

The project has helped these disadvantaged young employees a lot because they are inspired by this and are having plans of starting their own businesses. It has also empowered them and enables them to stay away from bad activities in society. They are now independent and able to suppport their families. In rural areas there are about 1500 households, most of the occupants are in their youth only a few in old age, the fact that we are bringing them a cheaper highly efficient energy resource is a winner for them and for us. when we break even it is also in the vision of the company to sponsor children, youths in education upto university level and provide for families that cant manage a meal in a day and health to the sick Apart from this there are now more passionate about taking care of the environment.
Sustainability

Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

The plan is to open up as many plants as possible all over the country to help raise the profit and the financial state of the project. we also plan on introducing new products such as energy saving braziers to help diversify our project.

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

Not many people are addressing this problem yet even though some households who cannot afford energy for cooking gave resorted to using the sawdust or wood shavings directly as a source of energy. This is very dangerous for the environment as it produces toxic gases. My project however turns this sawdust into a product that is completely environmental friendly and produces no smoke or harmful gases at all.
Team

Founding Story

About two years ago my brother and I had a business idea which my family encouraged us to pursue. This coincided with the first Zambian Children’s Climate Conference by UNICEF, which I attended. Having learned a lot about climate change, I got back home and decided to recycle saw dust. However, I did not have the money to implement the idea.This project was realized with financial assistance from a USAID project and started operating in 2011. One day, my brother and I were listening to the radio and heard an advertisement about an NGO that was funding youth businesses in Zambia. At the time I was in school and below 18 so my elder brother, Kenny took it up. Our business was among 38 that were funded and that is how Da'joy company was born.