girls turn poo to clean power in cameroon biogas push - household electrical appliances

Bueya, Cameroon (
Thomson Reuters Foundation-
One initiative of the Cameroon youth organization to turn human waste into biogas is to reduce pollution and provide cheap renewable energy for the growing population of bueya and Bamenda University Town. Bioenergy-Cameroon, a non
Government organizations managed by young people install equipment, convert waste from septic tanks and toilets into biogas for cooking or heating, and power small generators to run household appliances.
The group says its efforts are stimulating the use of clean energy in households and secondary schools with insufficient power in the grid
Alternative energy sources, such as gas cylinders, available or unreliable, are expensive.
"Many people have begun to discover cheap energy in their backyard, not only embracing the technology, but also learning about the transformation process," said Cedrick Kemajou, bioenergy coordinator . ".
With the expansion of the project, local councils and other youth groups are also involved.
"With the exponential growth of Buea university town, we have had problems dealing with human waste.
That is why we are happy that this waste can be used to produce energy, which not only helps residents to fill the energy gap, but also helps to deal with human waste and sewage (management)
Question, "said Patrick Ekema, mayor of Buea.
Due to easier access to energy, the Council can better address other development issues such as the provision of clean water, Ekema said.
Biogas is by connecting the septic tank to the bio
A biogas digester that breaks down organic matter and produces a natural gas called a creature. methane.
Students in schools where infrastructure is installed are trained in the biogas renovation process and show how to build, install and maintain biogas digesters and generators in schools.
"We provide practical training for girls in college on how to generate energy from the sun, water and human waste," said Green Girl coordinator Monique Ntumngia ,", A Cameroon non-governmental organization that trains young women in the field of science and technology.
"We are specifically targeting female students, breaking down barriers and getting them into innovative technology," explained Ntumngia . ".
Green girls have trained 600 girls in schools in towns such as Bafut, Nkwen and Mankon, she said.
The project organizers said that the other 3,000 households in Buea and Bamenda obtained domestic biogas digesters through the project, and demand is growing rapidly.
Many students from Buea and Bamenda say they have long been suffering from power outages in traditional power grids, where energy comes mainly from water and electricity.
"We can't study well during this blackout that sometimes lasts more than a week.
Although we are fortunate enough to have clean energy in our backyard, we have been suffering, "said Magdalene Lum, a student at Bue University.
"The new energy generated by human waste will continue to provide us with cheaper electricity," said Lum . ".
According to the World Bank, only 53% of Cameroon's 23 million people have access to electricity.
Especially for the poorest people in Cameroon, bottled gas is hard to afford.
12 kg Central African francs for a 6,000 liquefied petroleum gas cylinder (FCFA)
According to the Ministry of Trade, nearly $10.
Families who benefit from cheap biogas say they are using the saved money for other basic programs such as school and medical care.
"Biogas saved me from the hassle of paying my monthly electricity bills and buying bottled gas that was often out of stock.
This saved me some money to support the education of my children, "said Mercy Kum, a trader at Buea.
University officials are pleased that biogas separates their budget from potentially volatile electricity prices.
Due to more drought and flooding caused by climate change, water and electricity are becoming more vulnerable and rates fluctuate with water and electricity supply.
"The biogas we produce provides the energy that the school needs to continue to supply, unlike the often intermittent water and electricity," said Peter Nke, president of the Baptist High School Buea . ".
Installation and training in the use and maintenance of biogas digesters at a cost of 500,000-700,000 FCFA ($800-$1,100)
, The amount paid by the institution or family requesting the service.
A group of families can use a common biogas digester to share the cost.
In Cameroon, it may not be fresh to convert waste into biogas, but youth organizations say that biogas is produced from human waste in multiple homes and institutions, developing students technically-especially girls-is an innovation.
"Most boarding schools in the northwest and southwest regions now use biogas cooking and lighting to manage the process by trained students," said Ntumngia . ".
Center for Environment and Development executed by Samuel Nguiffo (CED)
A non-governmental organization in Cameroon explained that most communities in urban areas traditionally use charcoal or kerosene stoves to cook.
There is a huge demand for wood from charcoal production, which often leads to a government ban on charcoal burning and destruction of forests.
The use of biogas energy should help protect the country's forests, Nguiffo said.
CED estimates that the biogas project may reduce greenhouse gases of up to 60 percent near the project and curb contamination of open-air defecation and pit toilets.
"If the efforts of renewable energy are spread across the country, Cameroon will have great economic, health and, in particular, environmental benefits," he said . ".