Biogas Project Grant Proposal
Community Action for Rural Development (CARD) is a community-based organization that is requesting $5,000 for a 1 year long project to improve living standards and protect Kenya’s only remaining rainforest through the introduction of low-cost biodigesters to the 20 communities bordering the Kakamega Forest. The Kakamega Forest is located amidst the most densely populated agricultural center in the world with over 600 people per square km. As 81.3% of the estimated 838,652 people living in the Kakamega region use wood for fuel, this has contributed greatly to the 20 % decline in the forest over the past 25 years. The decline of the forest will only increase with population growth unless alternative sources of energy are introduced.
CARD was founded in 1998 and has been working in the Kakamega forest communities for over 10 years. They have been on the forefront in guiding the community to sustainable environmental practices. In the past, CARD has worked with the community by engaging them in commercial bee-keeping as a means of creating an alternative livelihood base and reducing over-reliance on forest products.This project will use many of the strategies and contacts that have been used in CARD’s highly successful commercial beekeeping project. CARD has received previous funding from U.S. donors such as USAID Amkeni programme and the American Self Help Fund. Currently, CARD’s main donors include APHIA II Western, AMREF Maanisha Programme, the Nile Trans-Boundary Project and the Foundation for Sustainable Development.
After completing an initial needs assessment (see attached), CARD discovered that aside from severely depleting the forest, wood collection is also adversely affecting the quality of life of community members. Women spend an average of three hours per day collecting wood; a practice that puts them at significant risk for assault or rape in the isolated areas of the forest. Indoor air pollution emitted from the open fires normally used poses a tremendous threat to the respiratory health of women and children, increasing the risk of diseases such as pneumonia and lung cancer.
Biodigesters have been used to convert organic waste into methane since the early 1900s and are currently used in communities throughout the world. While approximately 10 biodigesters exist in the Kakamega region, the current models are feasible only to the very wealthy. CARD has recently completed construction of a low-cost, plug-flow digester based off of a polyethylene tubular biodigester technology (PTBT) model used by over 30,000 households in Vietnam. Using local materials, CARD has constructed this digester for $52. 50, approximately $947.50 cheaper than the models currently being built in Kakamega. CARD is seeking financial assistance in order to introduce PTBT biogas to the 20 sub-locations (provincial administration unit) bordering Kakamega forest. CARD intends to disseminate information on biogas technology and work with each community to construct a demonstration biodigester.
CARD will administer the biogas project in four phases within each sub-location: Mobilization, Biogas Education, Construction and Monitoring/Evaluation. The Mobilization Phase will be a 1 month long phase in which CARD will visit the 20 communities to establish contacts and compile a list of collaborators that includes at least two contacts from each sub-location. CARD will target schools and women’s groups as entry points into the community. Many Kenyan schools keep livestock and use wood fuel to cook lunch for the students. Women are the household members who are usually responsible for wood collection. The women’s group will nominate three community members to house the demonstration site and CARD will then evaluate the members based on the availability of manure and the accessibility of the site. This phase comprises 6 % of requested funding.
After a month of general mobilization, CARD will spend 2 weeks focusing on each sub-location before incorporating a new sub-location into the project. The Biogas Education Phase will take place during the first week and will culminate in a training on the first Saturday with a target of at least 20 participants. During this Biogas Education Day, CARD will present the benefits of biogas and form a work plan with the community to assign respective responsibilities for the construction of the digester. The Biogas Education Phase comprises 17 % of requested funding. The demonstration biodigester will be constructed during the second week. The Construction Phase comprises 21 % of requested funding.
After the biodigester has been completed, CARD will hold a Launch Meeting with the community. During the meeting, CARD will announce the Prize for Innovation, a monetary award to be given to any community member who has successfully improved upon CARD’s biodigester design, ensuring information-sharing from community members who wish to construct their biodigester on their own. CARD will also pass out applications for a biodigester constructed by CARD. By offering to build biodigesters for community members and charging a small fee over the cost of materials, CARD will encourage a steady source of income and will help ensure the sustainability of the project once funding has been depleted.
The Monitoring/Evaluation Phase will be an on-going phase that CARD will maintain in each community that has been trained. Every 2 months CARD will re-visit each trained community and conduct a survey in order to determine the rate of biogas introduction in that community. This phase comprises 22 % of requested funding.
Aside from the survey, this project will be evaluated by a number of benchmarks. CARD will aim to train 20 people in each sub-location on biodigester construction. Two months after the Launch Meeting in each community CARD will expect to see 3 biodigesters being constructed/used in each sub-location. Six months after the Launch Meeting CARD will expect to see at least 5 biodigesters built in each sub-location. After the 1 year project has been completed CARD will expect to see 20 biodigesters in each sub-location, making for a total of 400 digesters built as a result of this project.
|
Activity
|
Material |
Unit Cost (Ksh) |
# |
Requested Funding |
|
|
Ksh |
USD* |
||||
|
Mobilization (1 month)
|
utility of motor bike provision |
500 per day rental value |
30 days |
|
|
|
motor bike fuel |
600 per tank |
15 (1/2 tank per day) |
9,000 |
$150 |
|
|
CARD labor time |
500 per day average office wage |
30 days |
|
|
|
|
CARD volunteer lunch |
150 |
60 lunches |
9,000 |
$150 |
|
| Sub-Total for Mobilization (6 % of requested funding) |
18,000
|
$ 300 |
|||
|
Biogas Education Day 1 day per site (20 days total) |
photocopy hand-outs for meetings |
4 per double-sided copy |
2,000 copies |
8,000 |
$133 |
|
lunch for training participants |
2200 (100 per person for 22 ppl) |
20 meetings |
44,400 |
$740 |
|
|
CARD labor time |
2,000 per day (average training fee for 2 consultants)
|
1 day |
|
|
|
| Sub-Total for Biogas Education (17 % of requested funding) |
52,400 |
$ 873 |
|||
|
Materials & Construction 2 days per site (40 days total) |
PVC (P) Tee ½ inch |
40 |
40 |
1,600 |
$27 |
|
PVC (W) Pipe light gage with 12 cm diameter |
350 |
40 |
14,000 |
$233 |
|
|
Black polythene plastic |
50 per meter |
120 meters |
6,000 |
$100 |
|
|
Superglue |
40 |
60 |
2,400 |
$40 |
|
|
Used rubber tire tubes for fastening |
25 |
125 |
|
|
|
|
Clear horsepipe ½ inch |
50 per meter |
60 |
3,000 |
$50 |
|
|
Utility of motor bike provision |
500 per day rental value |
40 days |
|
|
|
|
Fuel for motor bike |
600 |
40 tanks |
24,000 |
$400 |
|
|
CARD labor time |
1,000 (500per day average office wage for 2 ppl) |
2 days |
|
|
|
|
CARD volunteer lunch |
300 (150 per lunch for two lunches) |
40 |
12,000 |
$200 |
|
|
Community labor time |
800 (200 per day avg. labor wage for 4 ppl) |
|
|
|
|
|
Sub-Total for Construction & Materials (21 % of requested funding) |
63,000 |
$1050 |
|||
|
Monitoring & Evaluation (2 months) |
Utility of motor bike provision |
500 per day rental value |
40 days |
|
|
|
Fuel for motor bike |
600 |
40 tanks |
24,000 |
$400 |
|
|
CARD labor time |
1000 (500 per day average office wage for 2 ppl) |
40 days |
|
|
|
|
CARD volunteer lunch |
300 for two lunches |
40 |
12,000 |
$200 |
|
|
Prizes for Innovative biogas replications |
1,500 prize |
20 comm-unities |
30,000 |
$500 |
|
|
|
Photocopy Evaluation Survey |
2 |
800 |
|
|
| Sub-Total for Monitoring and Evaluation (22 % of requested funding) |
66,000 |
$1100 |
|||
|
Project Running Costs |
Telephone credit |
100 |
20 |
2,000 |
$33 |
|
Rent |
3,000 per month |
12 months |
|
|
|
|
Bank Charges |
250 |
12 months |
3000 |
$50 |
|
|
Internet time for research |
|
|
|
||
|
Electricity |
1,000 per month |
12 months |
|
|
|
|
Motorbike maintenance & repair |
4,000 per month
|
12 months |
24,000 |
$400 |
|
|
CARD volunteer stipend for 2 volunteers |
6000 per month |
12 months |
71,600 |
$1193 |
|
| Sub-Total for Running Costs (34 % of requested funding) |
100,600 |
$1676 |
|||
|
TOTAL
|
300,000 KSH |
5,000 USD |
|||
*** Funding is based on a 60 KSH exchange rate to 1 USD in order to account for inflation (current exchange rate is 65 KSH to 1 USD)
