PSTS website is online

P.S.T.S. is online: www.ppsts.com.  We did it, of course with a ‘little bit’ of help (thanks for that)! For the project it is a big step in the right direction and I hope the funding starts coming in now. We have achieved a lot over the last months and funding is important to continue. The research and development of the oil press and the cooking stove is the next money consuming project. We found a wonderfull press at the German Bosch/Siemens website http://www.bsh-group.com/index.php?page=109906 and they made a good looking stove, I think everybody wants to cook on this beautiful stove. I’m going to contact them and see how we can work together and share knowledge.

 

If you like to help the project grow, please contact us through the www.ppsts.com website and have a tree with your name on it (your name will be mentioned in the site), make a link to the psts website on your own website or blog (we will link back), start avertising the project at your school, work or business or just send us a donation so we wil be able to promote the Jatropha and to make Gambia green again. We are all looking forward to hearing from you!

 

Meeting the US Peace Corps

We are invited for the regional meeting of the US Peace Corps in Wellingara to inform the Peace Corps workers, that are working in the country at the moment about Jatropha. This is an excellent opportunity to reach  a lot of people, since the Peace Corps is covering the whole country and they are always looking for small projects to work on together with the villagers. A few weeks ago I was talking to one of the Peace Corps Officers and he was very interested in our project. The good thing is that we will not only meet Peace Corps people that are working in The Gambia, but also from the surrounding countries. I think it’s good news!

 

THE FIRST FUNDING HAS ARRIVED

 

The costs for traveling and printing are rising and the money is coming from our business Global Energy but help came around: we have received the first donation from the German Dresden – Banjul rally. http://www.rallye-dresden-dakar-banjul.com/news.php  We would like to thank all participants to the 2008 Rally for their contribution: they are all helping to make Gambia green again.

 

PSTS IS GROWING

All  Dutch business people were invited for a lunch with the Dutch Ambassador. During this lunch learned about a very active forestry worker named Ousainou Cham and of course I invited him for a meeting. He met here in the office with Seedy and to make a long story short: he is in! We have an active field worker!

Thank you Claudette for the introduction.

Ousainou is a wonderful person to know and to work with. He has been working with forestry for 25 years, he knows all the communities and all trees. I learned a lot from him and he committed to promoting Jatropha in Gambia immediately. He brought in a lot of ideas and proposals in how to reach all Gambians.

On the 5^th of April we are going all together to Ballie on the North bank,  introducing Jatropha to the communities. I’m looking forward to the trip.

 

PILOT 2008 Ballie

The meeting was a success, the trip going and coming was a disaster. We left Bijilo at 6:30 in the morning and reached back at 3:30 the next morning, due to problems at the Banjul – Barra ferry. We were exhausted from the trip but it was worth it.

The reaction of the very well organized and active Ballie community was so positive and they are starting with the preparations right away, using the seeds we provided them. There were also representatives of Senegal present at the meeting and they suggested working together: my dream about Jatropha West-Africa is becoming reality! The people at Ballie all knew about Jatropha already because of the campaigns on the Senegalese radio. One can say that they were only waiting for somebody to pass by and tell them to start and this is done now.

The next promotion action will be in Sifou, Kombo South.

 

PSTS HAS A LOGO

Proudley we present the birth of the Plants Stop The Sahara (PSTS) Logo, with special thanks to Seedy Jarju, Kiona Wilson-van Rhee and Patricia Mooren. Thanks to all.

 

PSTS IS AN OFFICIAL CHARITY NOW!

PSTS Certificate of IncorporationPSTS Certificate of Incorporation

How happy we are to tell the world that we have reached a new status: a charitabel organisation. Under the name: PSTS (Plants Stop The Sahara) we are now a legal entity, with special thanks to the hard work and efforts of Seedy Jarju, now the official Project Manager. Now we can start with the real work, providing funding is coming in. Apart from planting Jatropha we are including other indigenous trees into our projects as well as fruit trees. From now on you can expect more regular updates on this site, now we are ready for action.

 

Finally……publicity!

On November the 28th there was the great opening of the alternative energy exhibition at GREG (Gambia Renewable Energy Centre). Lott’s of people went there and of course the Jatropha table was there manned by Musa, one of the very active Jatropha-ambassadors . He copied the brochures I made and he volonteered to do the exhibition and a lot of people are very interested in Jatropha.

Today I visited the exhibition and as you can see it wasn’t easy to see the Jatropha table, to many people around. Bakary Jatta has a very interested audience there and this is what we all liked: let the word spread to encourage people to plant the trees!

 

MORE TREES ARE PLANTED AND THE FIRST STEP IN SOAP PRODUCTION.

The reports of newly planted trees are growing every the day:

My new Jatropha ambassador friend Bakary Jatta told me that he was talking to a man who is starting a 100 HA farm in Sutukoi and 50 HA are going to be Jatropha! Now we are talking!! 

Through our business we met with “Future in Our Hands’, a Swedish organization. Yesterday I learned that 28 schools all over the country, build by FIOH, are going to be fenced with Jatropha. FIOH already designed a brochure and FIOH is from today an official Jatropha ambassadors. Thanks Joran! 

My friend Samba in Samba Kalla (North-bank region) informed me that his 200 Jatropha trees are growing up very good and that he is going to ask in his village to start collecting seeds in the bush and bring them to me. 

Jim, one of our technical staff members came into the office today to inform me that he found a huge Jatropha area in the bush over the weekend and that he is going to collect seeds for us. YES! 

Soon we are able to press our first liters of Jatropha oil. In the mean time I was making my first bar of soap. Just to have some experience before I have Jatropha oil available. Today the bar of soap was coming out of the mould and our maid was testing some soap. We found her dancing in the kitchen: ‘She never experienced nice soap like this’.  I do consider this a complement for my first step into soap making.

 

PROGRESS:

I learned there has been a meeting at the office of GREG about starting a pilot farm. This is good news.The Senegalese TV was broadcasting information about Jatropha and lots of Gambians have been watching it. “If Senegal starts growing Jatropha we can’t stay behind….. If Senegal sees the benefits we also have to act……..” are some of the comments I received. There is more and more talk in town about Jatropha actually people start thinking about their own plantations.  We are buying a land in Tujereng to start our own Jatropha farm there and that will also be the perfect location for the oil pressing plant. At ‘our’ farm we will include the Jatropha School, where we will be able to educate all Gambians about the benefits of the Jatropha oil. Goal for the start is July 2008. A lot of work has to be done but that’s what we like. On the 19^th of this month (October) our friend Petra is arriving with 2 PITEBA presses. One of them is for one of our ‘ambassadors’ Bakary Jatta and the other one is going to be the first equipment for the new Jatropha school. With this small hand press we can show how easy it is to press the oil from the seeds.