Pauline Etienne
13 July 2007
Port Louis — Women of Moka-Flacq will be the last ones to be trained in composting domestic waste today. Members of the National Women's Council (NWC) and the University of Mauritius, especially Dr Romeela Mohee, who has brought her expertise in composting to this project, have been training 25 trainers in each district since last May.
This project is an extension of the one she led at Union Park. In the end, 100 trainers will pass on their knowledge to other women in their regions and give them the opportunity of empowering themselves through this activity.
Thanks to the composting of domestic waste, costs associated with the collection, transport and disposal of household waste will be decreased while producing materials that would be beneficial to agriculture and reduce soil erosion. So, through this programme, women will be given techniques of making, packing and marketing compost, as well as the use of compost in bio-fruits and vegetables.
The project coordinator of the programme at the NWC, Sarah Gabriel-Fauzou, comments: "Many of these women in rural regions do not work. This programme is a way of having a job by selling compost packets at the end of the day." But, as many people in those regions are farmers, they will be able to "use this compost to obtain quality fruits and vegetables as well".
The project was actually launched in January but it took some time before its implementation and having composters. "This was actually the result of four years of research. I have finally built my own composter, which I believe is very user-friendly. When I designed it I always kept in mind that women and children should find it easy to use," explained Dr Romeela Mohee. Tomorrow, the last programme will be in Quartier-Militaire but the process takes six weeks to be completed.
It is only after these six weeks that all trainers will gather (with the NWC and the university) to start an experimental session. "During this session, trainers will be given the opportunity of seeing how compost is different from other fertilisers. In fact, they will see the outcome of their experiments before starting a marketing session," Sarah Fauzou stated. "During this session, women will be requested to relate their experience," added Dr Mohee. As from that moment, the trainers will be able to pass their knowledge on to other women interested in the project. "All the women we trained appear very motivated by the project, as they themselves generate waste when they cook or do gardening."
"For the moment, we only have five composters in each region but we expect this number to be increased very soon," the project coordinator said. Moreover, the university of Mauritius has designed a leaflet for all beneficiaries as well as a pamphlet for the trainers. The latter defines the composting process as a "controlled biological decomposition process through which organic materials are broken down into a stabilised compost product that can be used as a soil conditioner or a soil amendment". The pamphlet also explains the benefits of composting among which the reduction of waste to be land-filled and the benefits of recycling valuable organic resources.
One of the objectives of the programme is indeed to make women aware of their close environmental issues. The NWC is even considering the idea of setting up environmental clubs with the ministry of Environment. "At the end of the day, we hope every region will have its own club where women will express themselves on environmental issues whenever they feel they have to," Sarah Gabriel-Fauzoo pointed out.
As a partner in this project, the British High Commission has contributed in financing part of the programme.
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