Panibagong Paraan 2008 Awardee, April 9-10, 2008
Approtech Asia's Project Entry entitled "Rural Enterprise Model for Biofuel and Other Products from Pineapple and Other Agricultural Wastes" was selected to receive the grant award in the recently concluded Panibagong Paraan 2008 Philippine Development Innovative Marketplace. The culminating event was held on April 9-10 at SM Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City with the Exhibit of the 99 Semi-finalists and the Awarding Ceremonies was held in the evening of April 10. This year's theme of this biennial development marketplace local competition is "Building Partnerships for Effective Local Governance."
The project will be implemented in Tupi, South Cotabato, in partnership with the Local Government Unit particularly the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office and the Municipal Agriculture Office, the Ecosystem Research and Development Bureau - Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ERDB-DENR), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the ZTG Corporation. The project will receive technical support from the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF).
Participation and Site for Field Visit in the Workshop on Financing Village-Level Energy for Development in Asia-Pacific, April 9-11, 2008
Approtech Asia's project "Improving Kitchen for Indoor Air Quality and Health of Food Micro-Entrepreneurs" and the project partner Mrs. Salvacion Calimlim, a Food Micro-Entrepreneur producing sugar-coated peanuts and grated coconut candies, was visited by the delegates and guests of the Workshop on Financing Village-Level Energy for Development in Asia Pacific on April 9, 2008. The Workshop was sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), The Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) and the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP-International). During the study visit, the participants from the Asia-Pacific visited the kitchen and the project overview was presented by Approtech Asia Project Coordinator Bernadett C. Parado. She was assisted by Approtech Asia Program Coordinator Ronnie S. Mataga and Project Assistant Claud Jan Marquez.
Green Microfinance, USA, introduced Approtech Asia to FDC and ADB as a partner in Energizing South East Asia where we plan to assist food micro-entrepreneurs in South East Asia to improve their kitchen and product. In the process, ADB Jiwan Acharya, organizer of ADB-assisted field visit together with Shell Foundation Andy Mendiola decided to visit and show our kitchen improvement project to the participants of the workshop during the whole day activity on April 9.
Approtech Asia provided technical assistance to Mrs. Calimlim to improve her kitchen, including the construction of improved institutional cookstove using biomass. The institutional stove was built with supervision of the Quality Control Expert and Builder of Improved Cookstove Hoeung Chuntheang from GERES-Cambodia. This initiative receives technical support from the Asian Institute of Technology and CIDA through the Southeast Asia Urban Environmental Management Applications (SEA-UEMA) Project. Four more kitchens are being improved in Quezon City in cooperation with the City Government Unit.
Approtech Asia Executive Director Feri G. Lumampao participated in the Workshop on Financing Village-Level Energy for Development in Asia-Pacific on April 10-11, 2008.
GERES-Cambodia Experts visit Approtech Asia Biomass Energy and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Projects on April 3-13, 2008
Improved Cookstove (household and institutional) Quality Control Expert Hoeung Chuntheang arrived in Manila on April 3 to assist Approtech Asia Technical Officer Ronnie S. Mataga in the construction of an institutional stove for Food Micro-Entrepreneur Salvacion Calimlim who uses coconut shell as cooking fuel in a drum-type stove. Mr. Chuntheang visited the potters producing Mabaga Charcoal Stove in Iloilo and Marbel, South Cotabato to see the quality of the stoves and suggest ways for Approtech Asia to monitor the potters and the product to qualify for carbon credit.
Aurelien He Rail of GERES-Cambodia visited the potter and briquette-producers in Cavite and Montalban, Rizal. He is interested to learn more about the technology on briquetting in preparation for the proposed project of establishing a briquette factory near the dumping site in Cambodia.
Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) Roundtable Discussion on Appropriate Technology for the Poor, April 15, 2008
Approtech Asia shares knowledge and experience in facilitating the transfer of mature technologies for the poor and how to make them successful during the PEF-organized Round Table Discussion on Appropriate Technology for the Poor on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at the PEF Meeting Room in Quezon City. Areas of collaboration were initially identified, especially in the area of improved cookstove and food micro-entrepreneurs in Caloocan City but taking it in a more holistic and integrated approach of implementation considering links to farmers who produce raw materials, suppliers of ingredients and food grade packaging materials, among others.
Partnership Meeting with the City Government of Manila in the implementation of Indigenous Nutritious Food Packages Promoted by Entrepreneurial Poor, April 15, 2008
The City Government of Manila through the Office of the City Administrator, City Health Office and Social Welfare and Development Office discussed potential areas for partnership in providing technical assistance to food micro-entrepreneurs, including street food vendors, without business permit to improve the facilities in the preparation and cooking of the food, such as the common kitchen with clean energy and clean water, and the vending area or designate a common place for vending where it is easy to monitor hygiene and sanitation and showcase the impact of public health and productivity in this pilot project.
The project receives technical assistance as one of the winners of the World Bank Development Marketplace 2007 Global Grant Competition in Washington, DC, USA.
Climate Change Mitigation
Approtech Asia and GERES, French NGO, are conducting studies from October 2007 to March 2008 on household and food enterprise cooking energy, biomass fuel supply chain and sustainability, household and food enterprise fuel consumption test and Adapted Water Boiling Test (AWBT) of the different cooking stoves in compliance with US Environmental Protection Agency Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (USEPA PCIA) study protocols. Approtech Asia is a member of USEPA PCIA. The Cities included in the study are Manila, Paranaque, Pasay and Quezon.
Approtech Asia and GERES established a Climate Change Unit to develop and manage potential and actual Carbon Assets. This unit will also handle the Emission Reduction (ER) components of projects from preliminary inquiries to verification and ER marketing.
ENGENDER (energy-gender-water-poverty) Network
Approtech Asia, in collaboration with ENERGIA (International Gender and Sustainable Energy) Network, is organizing the Gender and Energy Workshop and Planning Meeting on November 21-23, 2007 at the EduardoAboitiz Study Development Center, Lopez Jaena St., Barangay Parian, Cebu City.
Twenty-five (25) participants representing government agencies, LGUs, NGOs and the academe are invited to participate in the workshop and planning meeting. KAGABAY (Kababaihan Gabay ng Bayan) Executive Director Suzette P. Pido, Approtech Asia Senior Programme Officer Ronnie S. Mataga and Integral Development Services-Philippines Program Manager Dr. Imelda D. Soriano, who were trained by ENERGIA, are resource persons in the workshop.
An action plan for 2008-2010 will be finalized that will include the specific targets in line with UN MDGs, communication strategy plan, tools for M&E, tasking and identified sources of funds.
AA Ongoing Projects and Activities Updates (July to August 2007)
Approtech Asia's Senior Programme Officer Ronnie S. Mataga and Project Assistant Claud Jan Marquez participate in the Asia Regional Workshop on Measuring Change: Indoor Air Pollution and Household Energy Monitoring and Kitchen Improvement Training from August 7 to 15, 2007 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The training workshop is sponsored by the Asia Regional Cookstove Program (ARECOP) and the US Environmental Protection Agency Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (USEPA PCIA).
Approtech Asia with technical assistance from ENERGIA (The International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy) based in The Netherlands, is coordinating the gender audit exercise on energy-related policies in the Philippines from August 2007 to January 2008.
Approtech Asia's proposal on Improving Kitchen for Indoor Air Quality and Health of Food Micro-Entrepreneurs in Quezon City receives a grant award to implement the demonstration project from the South East Asia Urban Environmental Management Application (SEA-UEMA) project of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for 2007-2008.
Approtech Asia's ambulant food vendors project - energy efficient stoves for hygienic and healthy food is chosen by WISIONS Sustainable Energy Project Support Promotion of Resource Efficiency Projects (SEPS PREP 10) as one of the 10 projects included in the brochures to be published under the topics 'Sustainable Energy for Poverty Reduction'.
Approtech Asia signs a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with KAGABAY (Kababaihan Gabay ng Bayan) to transfer technologies on improved kitchen, water supply and sanitation, preparation of nutritional food packages to prevent "hidden hunger" among pupils in the Day Care Centers in Caloocan, Navotas, Rizal, Paranaque, Pasig and provide training to mothers in the preparation of functional foods for their livelihood.
Approtech Asia signs a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with Green Micro-finance (GMf) USA to mainstream the street food vendors by providing technical assistance in improving their kitchen and production area, micro-finance, capability-building and organizing themselves to establish a healthy and hygienic food industry through public-private partnership. See Green Earth technologies brochure here.
Approtech Asia signs a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with GERES to develop a sustainable programme on biomass energy in the Philippines.
Asia
Clean Energy Forum, Manila, Philippines, June 26-28
Approtech Asia Executive Director Feri G. Lumampao and Senior Programme Coordinator Ronnie S. Mataga participated in the Asian Development Bank (ADB) sponsored Asia Clean Energy Week held at ADB Headquarters in Manila on June 26-28, 2007. The meeting focused policy and finance solutions for energy security and climate change.
World Bank Development Marketplace 2007 Grant Award
Approtech Asia's project on Indigenous Nutritional Food Packages Promoted by the Entreprneurial Poor won the award in the 2007 World Bank Development Marketplace. The project was among the 22 winners of the 104 short-listed projects from a record-high of 2,900 participants from 13 countries.
The DM2007 awarding ceremony was held on May 23, 2007 at The World Bank in Washington DC.