The Empower Project Blog

New Beginnings

2010-01-25T23:30:00.000-08:00

A Happy New Year to you all (though decidedly late!)

The good news is that Empower is moving to bigger and better things! After the Biogas Project in Sri Lanka, I have been lucky enough to be part of the School of Social Entrepreneurs programme in Sydney. Highly recommended for those of you who are interested in starting up projects/organisations that transcend philanthropy.

I will be focusing on Empower Inc. on a part-time basis, with the intention of scaling it up to focus on more holistic development projects and having professional systems in place. It will be very challenging and there is much uncertainty ahead....but I can't help but feel that this is what I was meant to do. I will spare you a long ramble. Our website is under development and will be accessible in 2-3 weeks tops. www.empowerprojects.org

A hint at what we're up to:

Malawi - We've partnered with the University of Mzuzu in Malawi and are currently discussing concepts for a holistic community development project that will target 10-20 rural households. We're working towards using sustainable technology to address energy, income, agriculture, water access, health and sanitation needs. Very exciting!

Sri Lanka - We're also exploring the possibility of a small scale dendro (biomass) power plant in Sri Lanka. This would involve a collaborative community effort as they'd help action a sustainable plan to grow and harvest gliricidia (a nitrogen fixing plant) to fuel power-generation (almost carbon neutral). This would generate income for the community and improve their agricultural productivity. The generated power would be sold to the national grid and the profits would be proportionately split between the Energy Forum, Empower and the community.

Future Updates: We'll continue to maintain this blog for more detailed accounts of how our projects are progressing. Likely maintaining individual blogs for each project we embark on. A special thank you goes out to the original Empower team. This wouldn't have been possible without your support. Thanks for sparing your time and energy...above all thanks for believing in Empower!

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Over and Out,

Shanil

Interview with Asoka

2009-09-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

The Moment of Truth

2009-08-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

I must apologise for the delay in posting this entry. I have been extremely busy since my return to Sydney. Without further adieu...here are the details of what was an extremely rewarding project visit to Kirigalpotha.

Prior to setting off to Badulla, I arranged a meeting with Mr. Asoka Abeygunawardana of the Energy Forum. We met for the first time and discussed the status of the project and the state of renewable energy initiatives in Sri Lanka. Mr. Abeygunawardana is a passionate advocate for renewable energy and has even published an important book (which I received a copy of) on the unsustainable use of coal and oil for power generation in Sri Lanka.

I was introduced to Ms. Wathsala Herath, the Energy Forum's Admin Officer as well as Mr. Dassanayake and Mr. Samarakoon - two key figures in mobilizing village communities when the Energy Forum initiates projects. The process of explaining renewable energy, the style of conversation employed, gaining trust and becoming an "insider" are all crucial aspects of the mobilization process I was told. We made arrangements for the trip (two days) - 31st July - 1st August.

We set off at 7am on the 31^st. We visited a few projects that the Energy Forum has been a part of. I will elaborate on these technologies in a separate post as I’m sure you are all anxious to hear about Kirigalpotha…as opposed to me rambling on about renewable tech!

We spent the night in the town of Badulla which was a hive of activity given that provincial council elections were around the bend. It’s a strange time – often the only time politicians are seen in these parts.

We set off for Kirigalpotha in the morning. Surreal would be the most appropriate word to describe how I felt upon entering the village of Kirigalpotha. I felt like I was entering a by-gone era as the Jeep turned off the last tarred road. A maze of greenery, imposing rocks and a narrow dirt track guided us through to the humble hamlets of Kirigalpotha. A small gathering welcomed us, a little boy from the village greeted me in traditional Sri Lankan style (dressed in white and the exchanged betel leaves - unfortunately he was very camera shy). I was touched by the warmth of their welcome. There was certainly an atmosphere of peace and one could feel the presence of nature all around - the sound of the river in the distance and the village was lush with greenery.

The first order of the day was for Mr. Samarakoon to guide me through the operation of the Biogas system. This is the largest plant-based biogas digester in Sri Lanka - it is also the very first to be implemented at a community level. All others are prototypes in universities/companies. Mr. Samarakoon also took the opportunity to run a demonstration for the families that were already connected to the system ( 4 households with another 5 due to be connected shortly). All installation was complete and the Biogas holder was at about 1/2 its total capacity when I visited the site. Mr. Samarakoon suggested that the whole system could operate at full capacity two weeks after (it's running at full capacity now).

The digester that was constructed with our funding is about 5-6meters in length and allows for a large quantity of plant matter (any kind...wet/dry...even manure can be put in) to be fed in through an inlet. The whole unit is water sealed in order to expedite decomposition which creates the all important Biogas. An outlet at the other end of the digester produces (almost a 1:1 conversion ratio) nitrate rich compost which can be used as a fertilizer.

Mr. Samarakoon explained the merits of the system to the community once more, particularly in terms of sustainability and the production of fertilizer. He moved on to demonstrate how the biogas passes through special tubing, into a gas holder. This is essentially a concrete structure in the ground resembling a well - filled with water and a plastic storage tank is submerged in it. This plastic storage tank is where the gas collects and moves on to the generator room once enough gas has been created.

The generator room is a small room that houses the circuitry for distribution, a gas filter and of course...the generator. The gas that comes from the digester contains trace amounts of Hydrogen Sulphide which is toxic. The gas filter ensures that the gas is purified and is thus safe for all concerned - Mr. Samarakoon explained that maintenance was simply a matter of cleaning the steel balls in the system with kerosene once in a while. Mr. Samarakoon and a member of the community then proceeded to turn the system on. One has to check if a sufficient level of gas is present (given that the very first cycle of has production takes 30 days) by lighting the end of the gas tube. A strong flame indicates that there is sufficient methane for the generator to run. After that, a little petrol and kerosene go into the generator to help start the process.

They turned the generator on, it wasn't as noisy as I expected it to be and I was told that it's a new Honda unit. While we gave the generator a few minutes to get into swing, Mr. Samarakoon explained that the circuitry ensured that voltage was regulated at 240V and that there was no excess gas going into the system. The electricity output is then carried through standard wiring into each of the households.

Ahh… then there was the moment the bulb came on. How many times have we just switched a light on without much thought? There was something so profound about this moment. I captured the moment on camera and though it took a fraction of second for the light to turn on...it felt like it was much longer. I couldn't help but reflect on the efforts of everyone at the Energy Forum, my friends and colleagues back in Sydney....all narrowing down to the pivotal flick of a switch. In case any of you are curious...that bulb is just a test-bulb, the rest are energy saving (CFL) bulbs. We’re looking at 6-8 hours of electricity a day – 2 hours in the morning and the balance after 6pm.

This symbolic moment was followed by conversation over breakfast. Mind you...we did have breakfast before coming to the village. The community was so generous that I did not have the heart to refuse :) I could barely move afterwards!

Breakfast was followed by a community gathering. I feel I must explain the setup in place here – the Energy Forum recently won an award in Japan for this system. As mentioned in previous posts, a consumer society was formed in Kirigalpotha. This is a formal, registered organisation comprising of all of the current beneficiaries (others may join in voluntarily) and is tasked with the management of the biogas generation unit. The Energy Forum has formed such consumer societies across various energy projects in Sri Lanka and now has a network of consumers which is calls “The Federation”. Representatives from each consumer society meet at least once a year – this system has allowed for standards on maintenance and managing a consumer society to be established. Thus the community in Kirigalpotha has had an established blueprint to work with.

The primary tasks involve appointing an operator to see to the running of the digester. The purchase of small amounts of kerosene and petrol for the generator. Most importantly, the consumer society collects a monthly rental fee from each household using the supply. The sum is decided by the consumer society (usually ranging between AUD $2-5) and they made decide to pay the operator as well. The beauty of this system is that it’s entirely self-managed and is fully participative in that the community decides on the specific issues e.g. monthly rental. This monthly rental is deposited into the society’s bank account and is allowed to accumulate as a maintenance fund. Families who join after the initial installation may be charged a slightly higher rate as they didn’t have to go through the hardships of installation. This system is particularly effective as continuous communal saving in this manner can allow the society to be financially sustainable and look towards funding community projects of its own. That said, as stated by Mr. Samarakoon…they believe in long-term relationships and insisted that the Energy Forum does not view its work as being complete.

The community gathering was more a less a formal mechanism to thank the Energy Forum and Empower. A government officer, who was present, told us that he was impressed by the manner in which the project was conducted. A village elder and the secretary of the consumer society expressed their gratitude for the opportunity they had been given to improve their quality of life. Mr. Dassanayake of the Energy Forum stressed on the efforts of the community itself. As to be expected, there was much skepticism about the viability of generating electricity from plants! The families that persisted with the idea and trusted the Energy Forum’s vision had to labour hard to clear the land and fill the digester – often neglecting their fields and livelihoods in the process.

I spoke to the gathering briefly (my Sinhala not being the best in the world!)…I told them that we didn’t view this project as being charity but as being an opportunity to help improve the community’s ability to improve their standard of living. I explained to them beforehand that Empower comprised of individuals from various nationalities and backgrounds – many of whom had little knowledge of Sri Lanka. I expressed that our main interest was sustainability and to see this community thrive from here on. This was followed by a few of the residents insisting that I bring my colleagues from Australia next time :)

I have said much but I didn’t want to skimp out on what was a very significant visit. I conducted a few interviews and the general sentiment I sensed was that of great optimism and gratitude. I will be editing all the clips over the next two weeks. One sensed that there was a cause for them to rally around and a framework for cooperation. There was a formal request for a simple walkway to be built across the river that divides the village. While I didn’t flat out refuse to look into it, I did suggest that we could only really help them develop their financial capacity. One has to realize that these people have long been neglected and as a consequence their perception of their own power to bring about change and development is limited. The consumer society is a invaluable first step for this village in terms of gaining independence and developing their capacity.

I left after a late lunch – another generous preparation by the community. There was unmistakable warmth and sincerity amongst all those I spoke to. I couldn’t help but wish that my team was there to witness all that we have achieved in less than 2 years.

In terms of the project overall – the Energy Forum has secured most of its funding for the 2^nd digester. They aim to commence installation within the next month while evaluating the unit in the 1^st hamlet. Smooth operation till 2010 ought to determine if this new biogas technology is truly viable and sustainable – there on we can look towards proliferating this model across the island and perhaps overseas.

I got in touch with Nilantha from the Rural Enterprise Network and he is keen on partnering with Empower to develop the financial capacity of the community in Kirigalpotha. Their current proposal for a fruit dehydration facility seems promising and I was able to clarify certain concerns that I had regarding their initial proposal. The next month will see us working towards finalizing an agreement in order for us to proceed with this aspect of the project. For now I have insisted that REN coordinates with Mr. Dassanayake of the Energy Forum as he has a wealth of information on the community and has earned their respect over the last year.

That’s all for now folks. This has been epic…but necessary I hope! A big thank you to everyone who has helped Empower over the last two years! Each one of you have played a crucial role and you have literally changed the lives of a community for the better. You can all take pride in that. That said, our work isn’t done….to the contrary…this is the beginning :)

Over and Out,
Shanil

Good News

2009-06-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Things are going well with the project ...on many fronts.

- Installation on the first digester has been completed and is currently being tested and filled. Asoka from the Energy Forum tells me that they hope to have electricity being generated within July.

- The best piece of news is that USAID - via SARI/Energy have agreed to contribute USD 7,000 towards the second biogas digester. Therefore a second digester is now a confirmed reality.

This also dramatically reduces the Empower Team's need to focus on covering costs and allows us to focus on income generation strategies and project evaluation.

- The Rural Enterprise Network are expected to submit their proposal for the village of Kirigalpotha within the next week. This will serve as a platform for capacity building and income generation that will complement electricity generation.

- I will be in Sri Lanka from the 4th of July to the 7th of August. I will be meeting with all our project partners and visiting Kirigalpotha. Expect plenty of footage :)

- Finally, Empower plans to host a fund raising event in September-October (Sydney) once the remaining project costs have been finalized.

A special thank you goes out to all my team members for all their support. I hope all your exams went well ! Time to rest :)

We shall be in touch with regard to the proposed income generation strategy and organising a fundraiser in the coming months.

Over and Out,
Shanil

April

2009-05-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

I hope this finds you well. Thank you for your continued support. The month of April was particularly productive, all construction spare the finishing touches is complete (due to heavy rains). Electricity generation is due to commence after a 30 day cycle within June as initially planned. The featured pictures were in the last email I received from the Energy Forum.

(Beneficiraries)

Our funding stands at just over AUD$10,000 with more expected to come through. The team will be transferring a minimum of AUD$ 10,000 within the next week to assist Energy Forum with the costs of installation. Any additional funds raised will go towards a second digester and/or income generation schemes for the community.

(Biogas Digester)

Asoka of the Energy Forum has informed me that his organisation has applied for part-funding from USAID (for the second digester). This would greatly increase our chances of building a 2nd digester and allow us to focus on the income generation aspect of the project.

(Biogas Digester)

On that note, we have contacted the Rural Enterprise Network in Sri Lanka and they have expressed interest in submitting a proposal to us in terms of assisting Kirigalpotha improve its financial capacity. We’ll be exploring this and new partnerships over the next month.
Among the big considerations prior to my trip to Sri Lanka will be fund raising, the team is looking towards organising a dinner or a high tea in order to generate further funding over the next two months.

(Gas Collection Chamber)

Over and Out,
Shanil

Construction

2009-03-14T03:18:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka

It's been a busy month at both ends. The Energy Forum and residents of the Pitawela hamlet have excavated the construction site for the Biogas Digester. Construction of the Digester is estimated to be completed within the month. During April the digester will be loaded with paddy straw and leaves to initiate the first cycle for Biogas production. The cycle is said to take approximately 30days, meaning that electricity generation would be possible by the end of May/Early June.

We expect more live footage and pictures once construction is complete and of course ...when the lights come on! Personally, I hope to be there by the end of June/early July and visit the village in person. It will no doubt be a surreal experience and a great opportunity to meet members of the community, discuss income generation options and of course film interviews for our documentary on the project.

The disappointing news is that Practical Action have put a freeze on project funding for the time being as the Economic Crisis has devalued the British Pound, making their operations in Sri Lanka far more expensive as compared to a year ago. We're hoping the situation will improve and that the Australian Dollar will strengthen (even marginally) over the next few months.

Meanwhile the Kirigalpotha Biogas Consumer Society (formed as a support and maintenance mechanism for the project), comprising of all the beneficiaries from the first phase, held a meeting. Specifics about where the pit would be excavated, the caretaker of the generator and other logistical necessities were discussed.

Australia

Meanwhile at our end. Uni is back in session and so is the accompanying scarcity of time. Meetings during the holidays have resulted in us being able to pursue some funding options. Most notably Empower applied for the ARC UNSW Off Campus Community Grant and we expect word on the outcome in the coming weeks. We hope that the document and DVD demonstrating the work done with the previous grant will convince the community that the project is deserving of support.

We will be holding an AGM this Friday (20th) at UNSW. At the top of the agenda is the formation of smaller specialised teams in order to focus on 3-4 key aspects of the project. A number of new students have expressed interest in joining the project. This is very encouraging as fresh ideas and enthusiasm will do alot to ensure that we are able to do our very best by the residents of Kirigalpotha.

That's all for now.

Over and Out,
Shanil

2009: The Lights Come On

2009-01-30T22:24:00.000-08:00

A Happy New Year to you all. It’s been a while since an update has been posted. Fear not, all is well with the project. In fact it is well under way and Leesa and I have been having regular meetings in order to carefully plan our next steps forward.

As it stands we have sufficient funding to cover the cost of supplying electricity to the Pitawela hamlet in Kirigalpotha. At present the community have cleared the site and excavated the location in order to prepare for construction. Asoka from the Energy Forum advised that he would be visiting the site this week and we are eagerly awaiting new footage. The hamlet is expected to be generating its own electricity by May/June this year.

The main challenge at present is raising funds for the second hamlet, Aswaduma . The team is currently looking towards obtaining grant level funding as well as approaching private donors. The team is also considering a raffle fundraiser to further ensure that the second hamlet can be covered within the year. A new presentation with footage and project updates has been prepared to guide this fresh effort. It is our hope that we can secure funding by April/May and commence installation as soon as we do.

Meanwhile we are also trying to secure a new project partner in order to strengthen our efforts to augment income generation into the project post-installation. A number of potential partners have been short-listed and we hope to follow up on these leads in the coming weeks.

An AGM will be held on the 19th of February.

Regards.

Shanil

The lights will be on soon...

Regards,

Shanil

Progress Report

2008-11-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

It has been a while since an update has been posted, mainly due to most of the team being swamped with university assignments and exam preparation. While some of us have crossed the line and completed the semester, a few of us still have a bit more to go. Good Luck to you!

Registration

The good news is that Empower is a registered association (not for profit). While this does not entitle us to all the benefits of a registered not for profit entity, it's useful leverage when applying for grants and dealing with other organisations. We found that applying for full-fledged Not for Profit status would be intensive with regard to accounting and management requirements (for accountability). Given that we are a small freelance team, the practically of such a decision is questionable. However, this will be fully discussed during our next meeting (before the end of the month).

Fundraising

We're experiencing quite a mixed situation with regard to the funding as illustrated in the pie charts below. The good news is that Practical Action , an international NGO focused on poverty alleviation through technology, has confirmed that they will give the Energy Forum Rs. 600,000 towards the project. This equates to approx AUD 8,000 at the current exchange rate (fluctuates but I calculated it as 1 AUD = SLR 75). The bad news is that the project cost was calculated at a time when 1 AUD = Over SLR 100. The recent downturn in financial markets across the world (particularly in the U.S) has lead to the depreciation of the Australian Dollar as well. This has been communicated to Asoka and since Practical Action are funding the project in Rupees, this portion is unaffected. While this technically means that our fund raising target will increase significantly, we were advised to wait for the markets to recover. So this is where we stand now.

The exchange rates are expected to recover but this may take a few months. The actual scenario will likely be between the two scenarios displayed in the pie charts. If the Energy Forum need a capital injection on top of the Practical Action grant, we can send them a portion. The priority however, is to transfer at the most advantageous time (closest to Rs. 100/ 1 AUD).

Meanwhile we aim to explore the possibility of applying for more grants and perhaps organising an event/fundraising drive within the SL Community. The project has been getting more personal donations from interested individuals. Our sincere thanks to you all.

As you can see, the exchange rate makes a huge difference. Let's hope that the negative impact is cushioned over the next few weeks and months. Either way both the Empower team and Energy Forum are committed towards making this project work. We're well over the 50% mark regardless of the scenario :)

Installation

The Energy Forum is completing its design plans for the digesters and plans to commence installation shortly. I will post an update on specifics once I get them. There was a delay due to heavy rain. Though everything else seems to be falling into place with regard to initiating the project.

That's all for now,
Shanil

Thushara's Report

2008-09-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

To the Empower Team,

I apologise for the delay. I visited Kirigalpotha on the 8th of September. The location is quite remote, the nearest main town is Passara (16 km from Badulla) there on it's another 6kms to Neluwa (another small town). I had to travel another 2kms from Neluwa to reach the village. Therefore accesibility to the village is a problem.

I met with Mr.Mullegama, an elderly gentleman who was very eager to assist me and take me around the village. It was clear that the village primarily consists of paddy farmers. There is an abundance of Jak Fruit as was mentioned, though much of the fruit goes to waste. The main reasons for this wastage was:

1) Problems transporting the fruit (no factories in closest main town Passara)
2) A weak market for unprocessed fruit.
3) A lack of production knowledge to process/preserve the fruit.

On another note, I met with an elderly handicapped gentlemen who lives by himself. He is over 60 and has no means of income, he has to fend for himself. I was saddened by his situation and hope your team can help him somehow when you help this community.

Having visited thevillage, I can say that they are deserving of help. They are eagerly awaiting the prospect of electricity through biogas. I was asked to communicate a reminder of this interest and support to the Energy Forum.

Budhu Saranai
*Traditional greeting (Loosely translated) -May the serenity of the Buddha's be yours

Thushara Pradeep

Marching On

2008-09-06T02:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings Readers,

It's September and the team is swamped with work! Though our meetings haven't been as regular as a result, the project is alive and well.

Haaris and I met up with Sue Bennett-Williams of UNSW International last Tuesday (26th August) to discuss the project. She was very supportive of our initiative and gave us a list of avenues to pursue with regard to financial support - most notably contacts to reach the UNSW Alumni.

Since our last update, we have received the Campus Community Grant of $4200 into our account and I am currently waiting for another $1500 which was transferred yesterday by Simple Wisdom. Leesa is currently looking into getting a further $1500 reimbursed by the Australian School of Business.

We are also lodging the paperwork for incorporation as a not-for-profit organisation on Monday. The first step being to register a name.

We are doing well with regard to funding effort. The Energy Forum is also looking into part funding by international NGOs operating in Sri Lanka, this would ease the pressure of solely relying on the Empower Team for funding. The team aims to provide 50-60% of the entire project cost within October in order to allow for a smooth start to the installation process. We have been informed that the Energy Forum has enough working capital to operate the project for at least 3-4 months.

On another note, Thushara of Simple Wisdom will be visiting Kirigalpotha tomorrow and giving our team his account on the location and the scope enterprise that would suit the community.

Over and Out,
Shanil

Funding Progress

2008-08-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Team Members and Readers,

It's been a while since we've posted an update on the project. Primarily due to most of the team being busy with coursework, work and of course, the project itself.

The Empower Team participated in the Procter and Gamble "Pitch a Grant" competition on the 6th of August. The prize being a $1000 grant for the team with the best presentation. Our team came in third out of over 12 clubs that participated. Though it was unfortunate that we were unable to win, given the difficulty of summarizing our project in 10mins, I felt we did rather well.

We also had a stall at Foundation Day on the 7th of August thanks to ARC facilitating all arrangements. The day was a moderate success, we were able to create some awareness about our project and talk to a few potential volunteers.

Meanwhile we've been able to secure some good media coverage with a full page article in the Southern Courier and a write up in The Sri Lankan Society magazine.

The Sri Lankan Society
http://www.mediafire.com/?bvklssmemk0

The Southern Courier
http://www.mediafire.com/?4pq1dvdhhau

We are currently looking in to how we can raise another 10,000 , this would cover the entire installation cost and essentially guarantee the projects completion as approximately 85% of the cost comes from the installation phase. We have submitted our proposal to Randwick Council and we're currently awaiting a response from them.

We are also looking into the possibility of a Raffle Draw or a function targeted towards the Sri Lankan community that may facilitate larger donations.

Haaris and myself will meet with UNSW International on Tuesday to discuss what form of support them could offer the project. The team will also be looking to finalize the Not For Profit Registration process and approach a new list of NGOs.

That's all for now,
Shanil

Progress Report - June

2008-07-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Team Members and Readers,

June has been a good month for the Empower Project with many exciting developments to report.Most pertinent amongst our announcements from the Australian end pertain to funding commitments.

First, let me publish our accounts for the month of June.

The Funding Front

- The project has received as recommendation of AUD $ 4200 as a grant from the ARC Student Development Committee. Upon University approval (within the next two weeks i'm told), this sum will be transfered to our account.

- The Australian School of Business (ASB) has offered AUD $1500 through reimbursement. The ASB also did a media release on the project which subsequently made the front page of the University website.

- The team is also awaiting word from Simple Wisdom with regard to it's contribution to the project, AUD $1000-2000 depending on how its on-going projects in Sri Lanka fare.

- I am also in the midst of making stronger attempts rally the Sri Lankan community behind this effort.

- Leesa and Dev are in the process of developing a specialized funding application for the Randwick City Council who have demonstrated interest in our project.

News from Sri Lanka

We also received the results of the initial survey conducted by Energy Forum trained mobilizers (villagers trained to conduct surveys). The results offer a good initial overview of the socio-demographic structure of the village and some of the opportunities that lie ahead.

"The Asvadduma and Pitawala village hamlets were selected for establishing the first two biogas units."

Each hamlet consists of 9 (35 people) and 6 households (33 people) respectively (Total is 68). Participation in the biogas pilot was strictly voluntary and the majority of the households gave their consent. Research into the specific reasons cited by those who opted out, is under way. The moderate sample size for the pilot project (under 100 people) is ideal as it allows for a greater capacity of electricity to be used for income-generation activities.

Apart from Rice, Bananas were found to be the most popular agricultural crop. As mentioned in the previous update, Jak Fruit is in abundance and is currently our main focus with regard to income generation (over 600 trees reported in the area). Ownership issues are yet to be clarified with the Energy Forum.

Thushara, a colleague of mine from my time working for the NGO Simple Wisdom in Sri Lanka, has been enlisted to assist us. He has agreed to visit the village and provide an added layer of context to the ground situation in Kirigalpotha. Furhermore he will be researching the the demand for Jak fruit amongst local food processing firms. Or any other interested firms.

End of Semester Get Together

It was time to unwind after a hectic semester. Unfortunately the whole team could not make it, sadly we all have rather hectic personal lives. But it was nice to meet up and just enjoy each others company....free of serious business.

Looking Ahead

Recent developments in terms of funding and research results are very encouraging. We are still aggressively striving towards securing 50-60% of the project cost by August. We look on course to achieve this if we continue at this rate.

A donation drive is in the works as well as greater contact with the Sri Lankan community.

Furthermore, Haaris is looking into securing Empower's registration as a not for profit organisation. That could greatly help us when applying for grants (as it is a key criterion) and give an added incentive for corporates to contribute to our cause (tax deductibility).

Thank you all for your continued support! That is all for now.

Over and Out,
Shanil

Village Survey : Project Update

2008-06-01T00:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

It has been a while since the last update. Most of the team has been busy with assignments and exam preparation but have been committed to attending meetings and undertaking project tasks. Thank you all!

Accounts - April/May

(Click for a better read)

Registration

We are currently awaiting word from ARC with regard to the status of our Off Campus Community Grant. I was told last week that the amount to be granted was still being discussed and that we'd be contacted when it is confirmed.

Beyond this, our attempts to get corporates on board has been rather disappointing. The topic of recent meetings has been the registration of "Empower" as a not for profit organisation in Australia. This would make donations to the project tax deductible and also make us eligible for formal grants. We made a call to the Australian Tax Office on Thursday and Haaris is following up the legal requirements with Fair Trade.

Kirigalpotha Survey

(Questionnaire)

Asoka emailed me on Friday regarding progress at their end with the survey process. They held a village meeting and a core group of 9 villagers (in picture) were chosen to lead the mobilization process. What this means is that these 9 villagers are trained with respect to certain tasks (interviewing and filling questionnaires in this case) so that they conduct these activities themselves. This is a more participatory approach and allows for a greater deal of comfort.

The Energy Forum has been notified that the 9 mobilizers have completed the task of doing a preliminary survey of the selected sites. Asoka also informed of the fact that women's social status in the community is strong, as indicated by the fact that they compose the majority of the core group. An excerpt from his email;

Villagers decided to initially establish two biogas plants (one each) in village hamlets [Kiriglpotta Asvadduma (15 households) and Pitapola (9 households)] under this proposed project. The mobilization program should be done by stages. We trained the selected core group to do the survey and yesterday they informed that they have completed the household level data survey. The filled forms will reach us early next week. Then only we will be able to analyze the data.

Asoka highlighted that there are over 700 Jak Fruit trees in the area that are currently underutilized due to the lack of a market for the fruit. He suggests that we focus on this as a form of income generation. Sounds very interesting!

I was sent a copy of the survey (in Sinhala) and it does a good job of covering the basics like demographics, primary forms of energy used as well as future intended uses.

Well that's all for now.

Shanil

First Footage

2008-05-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to announce that we've received our first batch of video footage from Kirigalpotha in Sri Lanka. The footage is brief but it is all very encouraging as it gives us our first look at the village while also getting some much needed feedback from the village itself.

Meanwhile the Sponsorship effort continues. We're working on a list of Sri Lankan corporates, Sri Lankan owned organisations in Australia and local city councils at this point of time.

New Developments

2008-04-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

As usual there are quite a few developments to announce with regard to progress with Empower.

Media Footage from Sri Lanka

First and foremost we've been able to discuss the need for photographs and video interviews from the Kirigalpotta site. The Energy Forum was agreeable to this and they will be arranging a visit to the site for this purpose within the next two weeks.

This footage will give us a distinctive edge when it comes to pitching our project to all types of donor organisations.

Magazine Coverage

I was contacted by an upcoming Sri Lankan magazine that has secured a reader base (primarily the Sri Lankan community in Melbourne) and wishes to do a profile on me and the project. The intent, I was made to understand, is to cover students and their initiatives.

This too should give us some much needed awareness amongst the Sri Lankan expatriate community over here in Australia. I have already articulated to Angie (the writer who contacted me) that the primary intent would be for the project to receive attention and thereby boost interest towards funding.

Fundraiser

Leesa, Jessica, Olivia and Johnson have been looking towards organising a fundraiser for the project. Such an event would have the twin purpose of raising awareness and securing some funding for the project.

While an information booth would educate passers by with regard to the nature of our project, the intent is to sell something of value in order to raise money. The team is currently reviewing a slate of ideas in this regard. A Trivia Night is a possibility that was discussed with some enthusiasm. We'd like to host this event before the end of May in order to secure strong student participation.

Proposal Adjustment and Corporate Financing

The proposal has undergone some revision since last month, particularly with regard to the depth of the background, details of the location, the time line and the roles of partners.

We've also decided to increase our focus on Sri Lankan corporates for funding. We've compiled a list with over a dozen firms, mainly banks and conglomerates that we thought would have an interest in such a project. Dev would be organizing the mail outs while Leesa and I would be managing the relationship there on with follow up calls and emails.

Well that's it for now.

Over and Out,
Shanil

Moving Forward

2008-03-29T01:53:00.000-07:00

As stated last week, March continues to be a busy month for Empower. The membership of the society has been delayed due to some difficulties in submission of the forms. However, we will be affiliated with ARC, UNSW’s student body, definitely by 2^nd of April 2008. All the members have been e-mailed an updated list of contacts as some of the members chose to leave due to their personal reasons

Dev & Shanil after the meeting

Our off campus grant request would be taken up in May by ARC and we would be informed about the decision in two weeks time after the meeting. As for our own fund raiser activity, it had to be postponed due to the non-booking of space and informing Facilities Management about our fund raiser on a short notice. However, all is not lost. We plan to have our fund raiser soon. Olivia and Johnson would be helping Leesa and Jessica to organize the fund raiser. In order to make the fund raiser a success, all members are requested to send their ideas to Leesa or Jessica. The date of the proposed fund raiser would be e-mailed soon and updated on the blog as well.

Dev, Johnson & Olivia (The Young Empowerers)

As for our project, Shanil is updating the proposal and it would be updated hopefully by the end of this week. The updated proposal will be used to approach Australian School of Business (ASB) and Sri-Lankan corporations for the purpose of funding. Dev has been given the task of approaching a few Multinationals to convince them to fund our project. The good news that we have been able to get commitment of small funding from a Sri – Linkan source. Leesa will be helping Dev in preparing a write up for sending it to companies. Shanil will be identifying more companies, as potential financers, in Sri – Lanka.

Empower will be represented on Dean’s Lunch next week by Shanil and Leesa. It would be a good opportunity for our society to interact with the Dean of Australian School of Business and discuss our project with him. The Lunch will be held at QUAD Room 2083 at 1 Pm on April 2^nd 2008. All members are encouraged to participate in order to make our society’s representation better.

The date for next week’s meeting will be e-mailed to all the members.

Haaris

Affiliation and the Road ahead

2008-03-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

March has and will continue to be a busy month for the Empower Team.

We've passed a few critical milestones over the last week. We held our first Annual General Meeting (thanks to all those who came!) as a part of our affiliation requirement with ARC (UNSW's student body).

We handed in our application for an Off-Campus activity grant (Monday 17th) and our affiliation application (Wednesday 19th). We are currently awaiting word from ARC with regard to our affiliation and our progress with our grant application. Here's hoping!

A decision was made to split the strategic focus of the team's leadership; Leesa focusing primarily on fundraising and publicity while I will be focusing on the strategic details of the project itself. We are hoping that this will provide the effort with greater depth and focus.

We are hoping to set up an important meeting between the Energy Forum and UOM next week. The Energy Forum (EF) is currently recommending the village of Kirigalpotta in the Moneragala District (more towards the East of Sri Lanka). Asoka of EF has said that their coordinator has identified two pockets of communities, one with 10 families and the other with 11 that ought to suit our project.

Over the next two weeks I will be focusing on revising the details of our current project proposal and trying to get as much media (Photographs and Video) of the village site and the sentiments of the community. This sort of media will greatly boost our chances of obtaining funding.

Leesa and the rest of our team will be focusing primarily on sponsorship contacts and organizing fundraisers.

Keep posted..

Over and Out,
Shanil

Moving Along

2008-02-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

Greetings Readers,

The last week was spent focusing on our registration with ARC, the student union in UNSW, as well as sending out briefs.

Registration with ARC ought to be complete by mid-March latest. The team will then be eligible for various grants that we hope will fund a significant portion of the project. Empower will have an AGM on the 10th of March. While it is essential that existing members are present, those interested in joining are most welcome. I will post up the exact meeting details when I get them.

Another piece of exciting news on the financial front is that the Founder of Simple Wisdom (a Sri Lankan NGO), Mr. Florian Palzinsky (My former boss), is willing to contribute between $1000 -$2000 to our cause. He made no promises but he told me that he'd look into gaining more support for our initiative.

This is a valuable contribution though we need to spend even more time trying to strive for a minimum of 50% of the project cost before we can give our partners in Sri Lanka the go-ahead.

On the administration front, Leesa and myself are trying to structure out the interactions between the Energy Forum and the University of Moratuwa team.

Spread the Word

2008-02-13T04:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Imtiaz of Ozlanka, Empower has been able to secure an article on the website. Ozlanka is a popular website portal for Sri Lankan news and events. With approximately 1.5 million hits per month, an article on the website could provide the project with valuable publicity and encourage donations and financial sponsorship.

The article is already online and can be read at - http://www.ozlanka.com/feb08/empower.htm

Shanil

Funding

2008-02-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

The main focus over the last few weeks has been on securing financial support in order to initiate village confirmation and installation of the digesters. This has been very challenging due to the technical nature of the project itself and the fact that it is overseas.

We have currently pursued five main avenues for funding:

1) UNSW - Through the Business Faculty and the Student Union (ARC)
2) Corporates in Australia - e.g. BP, Caltex, Unilever
3) Corporates in Sri Lanka - e.g. John Keells Holdings, Dialog G.S.M.
4) Aid Organisations and Foundations - e.g. UN Orgs, Oxfam, The Red Cross.
5) The Sri Lankan Business -Chairty Community - e.g. Lak Saviya, OzLanka

All these avenues have been pursued to some extent but as a team we need to put a lot more effort into spreading the word about our project and generating enthusiasm that could fuel potential sponsorship. This is a vital element that we need to focus on as the entire project's progression.

Our meeting with Jane Westbrook and Prof. Chris Adam of the Australian School of Business (UNSW) left Leesa and myself rather disappointed. The outcome being that the University did not have financial allocations for such projects and had liability + risk concerns as they had not encountered a student initiative of this nature before. They advised us to pursue registration with the student union and gave us some assurance that they would assist informally with the sponsorship process.

We had admittedly placed a lot of reliance on the Australian School of Business (UNSW) providing us some financial support. We are still hopeful that the student union registration (ARC) will give us access to some grant funds that can fuel the start of the project. Despite this setback, I personally feel that a stronger, direct effort to directly contact people through all the listed avenues will bear some fruit, even if a delay in project commencement seems inevitable.

I am personally looking into funding by the Sri Lankan Community in Australia and Sri Lankan Corporates. Mr. Ben Roche, formerly part of the Faculty of the Built Environment Outreach Programme , was able to give us some useful advise with regard to direction and some useful not-for profit foundations for us to approach.

Here's hoping the team's efforts will be rewarded soon.

Shanil

Empowering

2008-01-28T05:37:00.000-08:00

Empower’s meeting for this week was held on Sunday 27^th January 2008. The meeting was attended by Shanil, Muniba, Leesa and Haaris. The other members were unable to make it for the meeting. During the meeting, it was officially decided to join Arc UNSW i.e. register Empower as UNSW’s one of the new clubs. Haaris will be responsible for completing the process of registration. He will be having meeting with Sophie Harmington who oversees the registration of new societies with ARC, on Tuesday 29^th January 2008 to finalize the details and process of the registration. The registration would be completed by Friday 1^st February 2008.

During the meeting, Muniba was delegated a new task. She has been made responsible for developing an Engineering panel at UNSW. The panel would consist of postgraduate students and lecturers of the University. The panel will act as resource for consultation for UOM. The UOM will be providing the quote for the project within this week. The team would be formally confirming the village chosen by UOM over the next two weeks and the team structure of UOM would also be finalized.

Empowering Others To Achieve Success

On the sponsorship side, e-mails have been sent to KPMG, PWC, Caltex, Shell, BHP Billiton and Dilmah. Energy Australia has already excused itself since it doesn’t finance or support programs outside Australia. It is also expected that 50% of the funding will be met through Sri – Lankan sources so that the project's groundwork can be staretd. Shanil is looking into securing the financing from Sri – Lankan sources and in that regards, he will be contacting Uni – Lever and Dilmah in Sri – Lanka. He will also be updating the project brief and power point slides based on the details provided by UOM.

Meetings and More Meetings

2008-01-21T02:24:00.001-08:00

Empower had two meetings in a row, one Admin meeting on Sunday and one sponsor meeting today (Monday). The admin meeting was attended by administrators of the project; Leesa, Shanil and Muniba in which the three discussed the project strategic direction. During the meeting it was decided to look into the University of Moratuwa’s (UOM) offer of undertaking the installation of project since they have consulted the volunteer undergraduate and postgraduate students who are willing to implement it. The most likely possibility is giving the go ahead to UOM. Energy Forum would no longer be in the picture because of their high quotes for the project.

At the moment, we are only waiting for an official quote for the project by UOM which is expected by this Wednesday. The name of the village will also be finalized by next week. On the financing part, the project brief has been e-mailed to various multinationals and Australian companies that include Procter and Gamble, BP, Energy Australia and Caltex. Some more companies would be added to the existing list.

Today’s meet up was more of a formal since three of the project members; Shanil, Leesa and Haaris had series of meetings with University Office bearers. The first meeting was with Associate Professor of Australian School of Business (ASB); Prem Ramburuth. During our meeting with her, we walked her through the project; she was very much fascinated by the idea and suggested us to affiliate the project with ARC, the university’s official student’s representative body. She also suggested some names within ASB to identify the sources of funding for the project. The next meeting was at Faculty of Built environment and we got some good leads over there. The leads would be explored further by Shanil.

The last meeting was at ARC with Sophie Harrington who oversees the registration of new societies with ARC. She provided us with all the necessary documentation for registering and also told us the benefits of becoming a part of it. After the meeting, it has been decided to initiate the process of membership with ARC but at the same time seek financing from companies as a private project. ARC won’t be able to offer anything before March which would delay the project. However, keeping in view the long term perspective, joining ARC would be beneficial for all the project members.

First Meeting of the Year

2008-01-14T04:39:00.000-08:00

Empower UNSW had its first meeting of the year yesterday. The meeting was attended by Shanil, Leesa, Wallace, Gong, Johnson, Jessica and Annie. The team welcomed its new member Haaris Ali, who officially joined as journalist of the project after a long delay. The other project members were unable to attend the meeting due to their various personal commitments.

During the meeting, the issues related to financing, a trip to Sri-Lanka and allocation of tasks were discussed. The local partners of the project in Sri-Lanka are University of Moratuwa (UOM) and Energy Forum who would be identifying a village for setting up of the project. So far, UOM has suggested a village called Kurunegla which is three hours drive from capital, Colombo. The team is also contemplating on who should be managing the project i.e. either UOM or Energy Forum. The decision in that regard would be made within a week.

Team Having a Chat after the meeting

While back in Australia, the project team members assigned to identify and follow up with prospective sponsors is in contact with various companies and University of New South Wales as well. The University would be informing the team hopefully by this week or next week while other sources are yet to reply. So far, Five Hundred Australian Dollars have been managed by one of our project members through her personal efforts. It was also decided in the meeting to stop working in teams as it hasn’t turned out to be really effective. From now on, each member would be responsible for an individual task. The details of the each member’s tasks are as follows

Haaris : Will be our Journalist. Responsible for uploading the blog with pictures, videos and articles.

Olivia: Photography and video.Will pass the material to Haaris.

Dev, Pattiya and Johnson: Work on survey and develop specific questions individually and then coordinate with the team.

Jessica, Annie and Wallace: E-mail and follow up calls to prospective sponsors individually and then inform the team.

Shanil: Leading the project and coordinate with all the stakeholders.

Gong: To look at alternative rural finance organiztions.

Leesa: Send draft contact letter to Jessica, Wallace and Johnson. Follow up ASB and look into partnering with another part of the University. Collect everyone's availabilities for meetings next session.

Pooling Some Talent together; Wallace & Gong

What is Biogas anyway?

2008-01-05T15:08:00.001-08:00

So... the Empower project is going to introduce a renewable source of electricity to a rural community. What does this mean exactly? What is biogas? How does it all work? What's all the fuss about?
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What is Biogas? How is it made?

Biogas consists mainly of a naturally produced gas called Methane but also contains Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen Sulphide and Hydrogen Gas. Biogas is produced as a product of the decomposition process. When any type of organic waste (e.g. Manure, Vegetable Waste, Fats, Dead Plants) are kept in anaerobic conditions (without oxygen), bacteria that thrive in these conditions break the waste down. This process results in the production of Biogas and a solid slurry that can be used as an organic fertilizer.

Therefore, the principle of a Biogas digester is to replicate these anaerobic conditions and create a vessel that can continuously produce Biogas. Biogas is versatile as it can be used as a cooking fuel and can also be used for heating and electricity (which the Empower Project aims to do).

What is a Biogas Digester? What does it look like?

Source: Institute of Science in Society

Most modern Biogas Digesters allow for waste to be continually fed and range from being specific with regard to the waste input (grass, rice paddy) to being versatile (human waste, animal waste, plant matter, oils). Different types of waste produce different ammounts of Biogas upon decomposition. The community needs to be trained on how to maintain the right levels of waste to produce the required capacity of biogas for electricity generation. The actual structure is a simple sealed vessel (often concrete) as illustrated above. The main bit of maintenance requires the built up slurry/sludge to be removed (typically after 6 months to a year). This as mentioned, is a good organic fertilizer.

Electricity?

The Biogas that is produced from this digester is collected and sent to a generator. These generators are often commercially available and run on fuels such as Diesel, Kerosene and Petrol. Relatively simple modification can allow an Electricity Generator to run on Biogas instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BDF0azPGvM

Source: cobweb.edn.purdue.edu

So why Biogas?

There are numerous advantages to using Biogas as a source of energy. Reliance on depleting fossil fuels contributes to Global Warming. As an alternative to these depleting, damaging sources of energy, we are forced to shift towards renewable, sustainable sources that have a limited effect on the earth and its atmosphere.

Wind and Solar Power are also viable renewable energy sources. However they are expensive to set up in most rural communities and require specific conditions. Biogas in comparisson, is cheaper and more versatile. The temperatures in tropical countries are ideal for faster anaerobic digestion.

Furthermore, Biogas production is carbon neutral. Only a comparatively small amount of Carbon Dioxide is produced as a result of digestion and this can be easily absorbed by surrounding trees and foliage. The waste sludge can be used as fertilizer.

In fact the production of biogas utilizes waste that would otherwise pollute the surroundings and add to the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere by decomposing under normal conditions.

Finally, the Empower project seeks to create employment and communal trade in relation to how the digester is fed (farmers supplying waste, people maintaining the digester and generator).

Shanil

The project to date...

2008-01-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome readers!

Although we've just started this blog now in January the Empower project has been gathering momentum at the University of New South Wales since mid 2007.

Currently the team is working with it's Sri Lankan contacts, The University of Moratuwa and the Energy Forum, to plan the development and installation of the biomass unit.

We're also researching in preparation for the second part of the project, specifically looking at business models to introduce around the electrification unit and the possibilities of using microcredit to sustain the businesses run by the villagers.

Another important task underway is the search for key sponsors and other interested parties.

Stay tuned for more developments!

Leesa

Welcome

2008-01-03T23:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome Team Members and Readers,

From here onwards all updates on the project( including photos and videos) will be published on this blog. I believe this will enrich the experience, improve communication and above all serve as a diary of sorts for the project itself. Please feel free to contribute with articles and comments.

Regards,
Shanil Samarakoon
Project Leader