Construction

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

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

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

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

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

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

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