Damaris Ocholla at her shop
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Authors
Patrick Meinhardt
Issue Date
2018-04
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Energy
Alternative Title
Abstract
Damaris is 49 and lives in Kisumu. She is a widow with 4 children (and several grandchildren). When her husband died she found it difficult to cope. She earned around 500 shillings a month selling groceries in a kiosk and supplemented this by collecting and selling firewood. But this wasn’t enough for school fees.
Damaris joined an 8-day Practical Action training scheme in Nyalenda on briquette making. She is now making and selling briquettes and cook stoves, fireless baskets and solar lights. Her family are very supportive of her work. The training was hard work and not everyone made it to the end of the course. The empowerment training gave her the confidence to talk to customers and sell her products. (Robert will send over more details of the training courses)
She is member of the Lakeside Women’s group and through this group she took out a loan of 120,000 shillings to buy the briquette making machine.
“At first, I was an installer of stoves. There, I learnt how to make briquettes and how to do record keeping. Before I started my business, I was a housewife. I would weed and dig for work.
“Now I am making my own briquettes. I am feeling very good. I am making my own money and I’m feeling very empowered.
“I have a son who is at college, I can afford to pay his school fees. I can now buy enough food, clothing and medication.
Following the training she has a much wider range of skills. She is very good at making briquettes and enjoys running her own business. She is passing on her training to other women’s groups. With her new business Damaris’ income has increased tenfold. Previously it was 500 shillings per month now she makes 5000 shillings a month. She has enough business to employ and assistant to help here. It takes 4 hours per day (when she worked on a farm, she worked 7 hours a day) to make the briquettes, which are made of charcoal dust, sawdust (accelerant) and cassava porridge (binder).
A small bag costs 50 shillings, and a big bag sells for 350 shillings. They are slightly more expensive than charcoal but burn for longer so using they save time and money.
“The briquettes are better, there is no soot, no smoke and it burns for longer. It saves people money. They can even be used during the rainy season in the house unlike charcoal.”
“I can now go to church and all of my elected posts, I now have more time to do things within the home.
She used to make the briquettes by hand which was not successful. The ones she makes with the machine are much better quality and don’t fall apart.
But Damaris still faces some challenges.
“When it rains, it rains on the drying briquettes and destroys them. (It’s unclear why she doesn’t just put them under cover) A solar dryer would help. Also I have no transportation. I have some customers in the city, I have to use a motorcycle, but the briquettes sometimes get destroyed on the way.” (This is because the roads are so bumpy)
“At least we are somewhere from nowhere.”
Consent form: https://infohub.practicalaction.org/handle/11283/620998
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