Скачать или смотреть Green Girls Learn to Make Eco-Friendly Charcoal in Burundi

UNICEF Child Protection Specialist Idelphonse Birhaheka takes viewers on a virtual tour of Maramvya Sobel camp in western Burundi, now home to more than 6,000 people displaced by a series of disastrous floods, where an innovative program trains teenage girls and young women to source and manufacture eco-friendly charcoal.

Without access to gas or electricity, families in the camp rely on firewood for cooking, collected mainly by girls and young mothers. As wood becomes harder to find, they must travel longer distances, exposing them to serious threats of violence and sexual abuse, and taking time away from education and skill building.

Deforestation also causes runoff and environmental impact, making living conditions much more complicated. On top of that, firewood causes excess smoke in their homes, posing a serious risk to families, especially newborns and young children.

To address these problems, UNICEF partnered with NGO SAD (Social Action for Development), to launch the Green Girls 2.0 initiative. The program trains teenage girls and young women to make charcoal from plant waste. Green Girls members use some of the charcoal for their family's household needs and sell the rest.

"I'd like this project to continue until I buy my own machine to give work to other girls who don't yet have a job," says Béatrice Irakoze, a Green Girls member. "We're going to help each other to be financially independent and help our families."

"They have learned to make green charcoal and have improved stoves designed to cook efficiently and with less smoke," says Birhaheka. "We're making efforts to improve the management and impact of climate change here, and even to improve the overall environment in which the displaced families and surrounding communities live."

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