2013, August 8

Sanitation program

Tiago Soares is the promoter of the Project

This program aims to start a sustainable local production and installation of septic tanks, toilets and sinks. This will allow the progressive installation of sanitation in the different households of the village, and at the same time the development of new manufacturing processes that can help the economic development of the village. Molds of the sinks, toilets and septic tanks have been designed and first prototypes are now under production. The equipment will be made of concrete with fibers to ensure the appropriate mechanical properties.

In 2013, enough funds have been raised for the first 50 installations. The program will continue in the medium and long term with the goal of having all the houses in the village equipped with a proper sanitation system.

Besides increasing the hygiene and public health standards, the program will stimulate the creation of a space of hygiene, privacy and self-esteem in the households. This new room will help developing the sense of house as more than just a sleeping place.

2013, June 20

The school of Antintorona has got the Internet connection. It is realized through a radio bridge with the near and bigger island of Nosy Be. 

 

A antenna, posted in a high position an a big rock above the forest, re-send to the school of the village of Antintorona the signal coming form the city of Hell-Ville.

 

The complex system of networking has built by the Organization OLPC France, inside of the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) Project for of the local Primary School.

The Wi-Fi Project has born two years ago, and has been realized in the 2012 in collaboration with the local telephone operator TELMA… from this year the service has been given for free in order of the humanitarian and educative intent.

OLPC International is an American Organization who produces little laptop for the children of the Elementary School. 

The little computer are resistant and tropicalized, propose for all the critical situation that can be found in the Third World environment. Those mobiles use Linux as Operative System and are fully furnished as a normal mobile computer… included a Wi-Fi network card. 

OLPC France: http://olpc-france.org/blog/

OLPC: http://olpc.org/

Wednesday – August 28th, 2012

…typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen.

Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal feces, and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas. Biogas originates from biogenic material and is a type of bio fuel.

The biogas scheme. 

Biogas is produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of biodegradable materials such as biomass, manure, sewage, municipal waste, green wast, plant material, and crops. Biogas comprises primarily methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) and may have small amounts of hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), moisture and siloxanes.

The gases methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide (CO) can be combusted or oxidized with oxygen. This energy release allows biogas to be used as a fuel. Biogas can be used as a fuel in any country for any heating purpose, such as cooking. It can also be used in anaerobic digesters where it is typically used in a gas engine to convert the energy in the gas into electricity and heat. Biogas can be compressed, much like natural gas, and used to power motor vehicles. 

Example of biogas plant in a rural environment

In the UK, for example, biogas is estimated to have the potential to replace around 17% of vehicle fuel. Biogas is a renewable fuel, so it qualifies for renewable energy subsidies in some parts of the world. Biogas can also be cleaned and upgraded to natural gas standards when it becomes bio methane.

Monday – July 2nd, 2012

Weather today… ☀☁

http://www.weatherreports.com/Madagascar/Nosy_Be

Project activities!!

-Working ad the new building for the Agricultural Project.

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Yesterday happened…

-Yesterday we had the annual meeting of the Economy and Development Commission. The EDC is delegated to control and analyze the develop projects proposed by Stefano Project. 

Social activities…

-Tsisy, we just rest…

WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE ELECTRICITY to The Village at very low costs and the social and emotional impact of this realization is huge and continues to be so.

Children have much more time to do homework, mothers to be better Moms and the men can prolong the time dedicated to craft activities and social relations.

It's hard to talk about development without giving due importance to the factor "energy". The primary sources of energy used here are coal, wood and oil. We have chosen hydropower.

All this has been made possible thanks to an almost fortuitous encounter with Claude-Alain Nissile, a Swiss engineer who along with some of his friends created the Association ADEVE and a customized project for our energy needs.

One of the members of this association is Sergio, a smelter in Switzerland famous for having created the bell of the Olympic Games in Athens. With him we have built the mechanical parts of the bronze turbine "Pelton" which along with the electrical components form a machine which can be easily reproduced in Madagascar by local artisans.

This is an important aspect, that these micro-turbines be easily reproduced in Madagascar which would allow for the exploitation of river water, which is so readily available in this country, and thus giving several villages the possibility of producing electricity cheaply for themselves.

In our village the water reaches the turbine forced through 600 metres of pipe starting from the catchment area and then passes into the basin set in a circle and after a steep descent, arrives with its load of kinetic energy to drive the turbine.

The result is that all homes have access to electricity, the streets are lit, the cinema can show films and the children can recharge their electronic learning devices.

• 2000 - Electricity becomes available in Antintorona. To provide energy to the school, a solar panel system is installed.
• 2006 - Construction of the pipeline. To allow the installation of the hydroelectric turbine we first had to prepare the ground on which to run the conduit for the forced water.
• 2007 - Installation of hydroelectric turbines. The turbine uses the water of the river which is channelled through a penstock down from 600mt.
• 2008 - Installation of an electrical network. The energy produced from the hydroelectric turbine is continuously distributed throughout the village.
• 2010 - The Cinema. With the simple use of an old projector and the unused cloth from a sail , a cinema has been set up in the Atelier of Mechanics and movies come to life for everyone in the village.