Up until 5 months ago, Kumbo had suffered from severe communication isolation—a city of 100,000 with no local TV or radio station. The Kumbo Development Organization in collaboration with the BBC has started a community radio station called Bui FM, and in only 5 months it’s clear that community radio is doing its part to fight the stagnant economic conditions.

HIC public relations specialist Ntani Divine records the radio spots.

The Himalayan Institute Cameroon has been supporting the station’s efforts and is airing several radio spots. Each commercial airs twice per day. The goal is to create community awareness about the community center’s activities and to get more of the community involved with the center’s programs.

The advertisements have already increased business at the Carpentry & Construction service program.

Currently airing is a general HIC commercial sensitizing the community to the mission of the HI humanitarian efforts in Kumbo, a School of Carpentry & Construction spot introducing its service program which allow local craftsmen to benefit from C&C’s equipment, and a Total Health Center commercial informing people of the affordable natural health care options at all three of the branch centers.

Listen to the radio spots. You will hear 3 languages in these recordings — English, Pidgin-English, and Lamnso, a local dialect:

The Energy Farming nursery at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement is currently growing over 8,000 pongamia seedlings. Tending to a nursery of this size requires lots of attention to ensure that the seedlings get the right amount of water, sunlight, and nutrients.

A shade net protects the pongamia seedlings from the intense mid-day sun.

During the summer, temperatures in South India reach as high as 110º F. Mature pongamia trees can withstand high temperatures, but seedlings need extra protection. A shade net was built to cover the nursery during this very hot part of the year.

To encourage higher seed yields from the pongamia trees, Energy Farming utilizes a technique known as grafting. When a seedling’s stem is about pencil thick, a notch is cut into the top of the seedling and a branch from a mature, high-yielding pongamia tree is attached to the seedling. From that point forward, the seedling is pruned to ensure that all future growth comes from this added branch. The branch, like its parent tree, will produce a high volume of seeds for maximum biofuel extraction. This technique also encourages earlier fruit bearing—normally a pongamia tree won’t produce seeds until the 7th year, but a grafted tree produces in the 4th year.

The nursery is organized by seedling size. After the larger seedlings have been grafted and pruned, they are planted with the other pongamia trees in the fields. Continued pruning ensures that the plants are well balanced and helps maximize the fruit bearing external branches. As seedlings are taken out of the nursery, new seeds are planted to replace them. In this way, a constant stream of growth is maintained from seed to establishment.

New seeds are planted in the nursery.

School is not free in Kumbo, Cameroon. If parents want to send their children to elementary school and high school they have to pay each year for tuition and books, even in government-run schools. On average, the total cost for one year of school is roughly $250. In a country where the average annual income is only $1050 (Worldbank), it can be very challenging to put an entire family through school.

The Himalayan Institute Cameroon has been working hard to support families in Kumbo by providing scholarship assistance. To date, the HIC has assisted:

• 26 students in 2008
• 42 students in 2009
• Our Goal: 100 students in 2010.

The financial assistance goes towards, books, materials, uniforms and tuition. To further help reduce the cost of education, the HIC has dedicated a section of its Kumbo Public Library to house every text book needed in Kumbo schools. This collection includes over 1000 books and is available to the student to study from at no cost.

Students at the HIC’s Back to School party.

A sudden rain moves the party inside where students receive school supplies and continue the festivities.

To start the school year off on the right foot, the HIC hosts an annual Back to School party each September, which allows children to gather at the community center and enjoy food, games and festivities. This year the 98 students that came to the party each received notebooks, pens, pencils and a ruler.

Aisha in Class 6 writes to her pen pal in the US.

It costs $250 to send one child to school in Kumbo. Help us to reach our goal of sending 100 children to school in 2010!

After more than a year of fundraising, book drives and planning, the construction of the Kumbo Public Library has begun. The Himalayan Institute in partnership with the Honesdale Rotary sent 25,000 books and archival quality shelving units to Kumbo, Cameroon. The Himalayan Institute Cameroon community center was chosen to house the new library, and plans have been drawn up to convert the center’s main hall.

The hall is 1500 square feet with 13 feet high ceilings. There are windows on the north and east sides, providing the hall with natural light all day.

On September 28, 2009, community members and HIC staff began to move the shelving units and books out of storage and into what will be their permanent location. Hundreds of boxes of books were carried by hand and by wheelbarrow. Once the books were brought into the building, a second team began the project of sorting, organizing and alphabetizing the books.

Because of the generous fundraising efforts of the Honesdale Rotary, the hall for the library will be completely renovated with new furniture and structural improvements. The Himalayan Institute School of Carpentry & Construction (C&C) has undertaken the complete renovation and furnishing of the library. C&C technicians are building custom-made tables, desks and chairs for the library. In addition, the windows are being upgraded, so that the library can be a fully climate controlled facility. This will ensure that the books last for many generations.

C&C technicians organize the shelving units for assembling.

Community education programs will be hosted at the library, including adult literacy classes, children’s afterschool programs, and educational video nights where films such as Plant Earth will be projected onto the 12 foot cinema wall. Three computers will be available in the library for educational use and they will be loaded with Wikipedia For Schools, an offline version of Wikipedia that is about the size of a twenty volume encyclopedia. So even when the computers are not connected to the internet, students can still do research and access up-to-date information. The library will have a reading room, children’s learning area, and a section devoted to textbooks. Books on average make up 44% of annual school expenses for students in Kumbo. Having access to textbooks through a public library will help make going to school more affordable.

Thanks to all of the help from the local community, the library will be open by the end of the year.

Energy Farming refers to the sustainable cultivation of crops that provide green energy, most notably biofuel—crops like sunflower, castor, Jatropha, and Pongamia. As the cost of petroleum rises, the need for alternative sources of energy becomes more urgent. Energy Farming empowers rural farmers to enter into the rapidly expanding alternative energy market. By utilizing organic agriculture and land management techniques, the land and the jobs that depend on that land can be sustained. Energy Farming methodology is also applicable to food, medicinal, aromatic, and cash crops, and its holistic approach increases crop productivity, decreases cost of cultivation, and stimulates environmental regeneration.

Biofuel vs. Petroleum

Biofuel—the fuel that is derived from plant oil—is vastly superior to its fossil-based counterpart when it comes to the effect it has on the environment. Engines running on biofuel emit almost no sulfur dioxide and particulate emissions are typically reduced by more than 50 percent.

Biodiesel is often blended with petrodiesel. A study by the EPA found that the more biodiesel in the mix, the greater the decreases in emissions of particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbons (HC).

On a global scale, biofuels reduce the net emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. While it is true that any burning fuel releases carbon into the atmosphere, fossil fuels are composed of carbon previously stored below the earth’s surface in the form of oil, natural gas, and coal, and as they burn they release a new load of carbon into the air. On the other hand, the carbon content of biofuels like pongamia oil has been taken directly from the atmosphere as the tree grows—even one hectare (2.47 acres) of pongamia will absorb tons of carbon every year. Burning pongamia oil instead of fossil fuels has the overall effect of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 75 percent and carbon monoxide emissions by almost 50 percent. So, planting millions of acres of pongamia will help slow global warming.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy and EPA

Pongamia – A Tough, Reliable Tree

Pongamia is the tree of choice for the Himalayan Institute Energy Farming projects. Mature Pongamia pinnata trees stand up to 50 feet high, and their dense canopy can be almost equally wide. Their hearty, dark-green leaves retain moisture even under intense heat. Small clusters of white, purple, and pink flowers blossom on their branches throughout the year, maturing into brown seed pods that litter the ground. When the seed pods are pressed, the oil that is extracted can be used as biofuel to power pumps, generators, and even heavy machinery like tractors, cars and trucks.

Flowers and young seed pods of the Pongamia pinnata.

Extreme weather conditions are no obstacle for the pongamia. The tree is well suited to the intense heat and sunlight of places like South India and its dense network of lateral roots and thick, long taproot make it drought-resistant. The tree can even help rehabilitate the land—the dense shade it provides slows the evaporation of surface water and its root structure promotes nitrogen fixation, which moves nutrients from the air into the soil. Using a grafting technique, the pongamia will begin yielding seeds in the 4th year. Upon maturity, 8-12 years thereafter, each pongamia tree will produce over 75 pounds of seed, 7 tons per acre. This is about 550 gallons of biofuel per acre. Once established, the pongamia can give a reliable harvest of seeds for fifty years.

Pongamia seedlings at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement.

Energy Farming at Tibetan Refugee Settlements

The Himalayan Institute in partnership with the Central Tibetan Administration is working to bring Energy Farming programs to Tibetan refugee settlements. The project is well underway at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement in South India:

• 4,000 Pongamia pinnata trees were planted to help regenerate fallow land and produce a sustainable biofuel crop.
• 8,000 more pongamia seedlings are maturing in the nursery.
• The project is carried out by community members from the Tibetan settlement, who are employed as managers and technicians.
• 20 acres of land have been cultivated for eco-friendly energy farming.
• Castor, another biofuel plant, has been intercropped with the pongamia.
• The Pongamia Energy Farming project is being expanded to 3 neighboring settlements, home to over 20,000 Tibetan refugees.

Climate change is a global problem that needs to be addressed through multiple methods. Energy Farming is an approach that helps reduce and repair the negative trend in global climate change while enriching the local ecosystem and empowering rural communities.

For further reading:

• Himalayan Institute Humanitarian Projects
• Yoga+ Article: Tibet in Exile—A Green Evolution
• Wikipedia: Pongamia pinnata

Today is Blog Action Day 2009. This blog and thousands of other blogs around the world have joined together to discuss this year’s topic: climate change.

On October 15, 2009, the Himalayan Institute’s humanitarian blog will participate in Blog Action Day. Blog Action Day is an international event where thousands of blog writers from around the world spend the day writing about a single issue — this year the focus is climate change. Please join us on October 15th to share in this important dialog.

Click the image below to watch a video about Blog Action Day 2009:

The Himalayan Institute’s Energy Farming program utilizes organic and biovedic land cultivation techniques. By avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the Energy Farming program is able to grow healthy crops while improving the fertility of the soil. Some of these techniques that are currently in use at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement include intercropping, vermicomposting, and micro-rainwater harvesting.

Intercropping

One acre of castor has been intercropped with the pongamia. Castor is used medicinally as a laxative, a lubricant and also as a source of bio-fuel.

Often, tree-based cash crops take several years before they are producing market-ready harvests. During this time, farmers still need a source of food and income. Intercropping is an excellent solution to this problem. At the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement, pongamia trees have been planted in rows which are 5 meters apart. This gives the farmers plenty of room in between rows to plant food crops and faster yielding cash crops. Pongamia trees typically take 4 to 5 years before they produce seeds that are suitable for bio-fuel extraction.

Vermicomposting

Vermicompost is mixed into the soil at the base of each pongamia tree.

Vermicomposting is an organic composting technique in which various species of worms are fed organic waste. The result is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer which can be added directly to the soil to improve plant health, crop yields, and root growth. In addition, vermicompost reinvigorates the soil by adding microorganisms and improving the soil’s physical structure and water holding capacity.

Micro-Rainwater Harvesting

When the pongamia trees were first planted, the extra dirt that was dug out to make room for the tree and compost was used to form a ring around each tree. This ring helps to contain rainwater and prevents the run-off that would occur if the ground was flat. Pongamia thrives with lots of water, but it also has a deep tap root which enables it to survive the harshest of dry seasons. Like vermicomposting, this technique also helps to improve the soil’s water holding capacity.

Congratulations to Sylvia and Gisleng Folaven on their beautiful baby girl!

Shanti Folaven, just minutes old.

Shanti Folaven was born at 5:58 AM on the morning of September 7th. She weighed 6lbs 6oz. Sylvia was up and walking around just a few minutes after the delivery. The baby is also very healthy and happy.

Dad and baby.

Sylvia and Gisleng are staff members at the Himalayan Institute Cameroon where they have worked since 2007. Everyone at the HIC is so excited that they have brought a new member to the HIC family!

Mom and baby with Vivian. Vivian is also an HIC staff member and is a very good friend of Sylvia, Gisleng and now Shanti!

On Monday August 29th, the Himalayan Institute Cameroon held the first of a series of meetings and events that will result in an organizational overhaul of its community center operations. The goal of this reorganization is to make the center more efficient and more effective at delivering its programs to the community. By looking at the challenges and successes of the last two years, the staff will work together to identify methods for continued improvement.

HI Cameroon Managing Director Jeff Abella and General Manager Bannyuy Justine explain to staff how the reorganization process will improve the efficiency of the center.

“You have the weight of an entire community on your shoulders therefore you must remain solid to support that weight. Let’s keep working together to strengthen this organization so that we can continue to strengthen this community,” said Jeff Abella to staff. “Let’s think of this reorganizational practice as an operational reboot and system upgrade,” joked Abella as he made reference to the unreliable computer systems often found in the NW region of Cameroon. “To be effective in social development we must be confident in our approach and always think outside the box. We must also have access to cutting edge tools to support our work and the HI Community Center model is a tool in itself.”

Staff members enjoyed the introduction to this phase of internal development and were keen to hear about how the remaining 2009 activities would unfold.

In the meeting the staff recapped how Sacred Link Jewelry was the first rural empowerment program launched by HI Cameroon and how the center has since expanded to include Total Health Centers, the School of Carpentry and Construction, New Vision and the School of Energy Farming. Together these programs have touched thousands of lives in Cameroon and the numbers continue to grow. This success is due to the dedication and hard work of the local staff at the HIC. The reorganization will help to ensure that each staff member has the support they need to do the best work possible.

HI Cameroon General Manager Bannyuy Justine thanks the staff for their efforts and commitment to hard work.

The meeting concluded by distributing staff appreciation gifts and a picture slide show with Chai, cookies and puff puff (a traditional Cameroon pastry).

3,500 pongamia seedlings have been planted at the Himalayan Institute Energy Farming demonstration site at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement.

The seedlings have been doing very well and are now about 3-4 feet tall. Once fully mature, the seeds from these trees will be used to produce biofuel, which will help to bring jobs and sustainability to the settlement.

Stakes are used to keep the young trees upright and strong.

Recently, elephants and cattle have wandered onto the plantation, damaging some of the trees in the process. The local Energy Farming team, made up of a Project Supervisor and three assistants, quickly went into action to address the problem. They installed a solar electric fence to protect the plantation. It was a perfect choice – the fence was made from affordable materials (stakes and wire) and since it runs on solar power it will provide a sustainable solution to what could have been a serious problem.

The new solar electric fence at the Energy Farming plantation site.

More trouble bubbled up when an underground irrigation pipeline burst. Again the local team was quick to respond – the pipe was dug up and the broken piece was replaced. The ability to address problems such as these as they arise is what will continue to make the Energy Farming project a success and the team at the Tibetan Rabgyeling Settlement has shown that they are up to the challenge!