Sirona Cares

Jatropha Program Coming to Fruitition

Sirona started fighting poverty with energy through a jatrohpa-based biofuel program.  Since 2009 we have been working with small farmer cooperatives starting nurseries to plant Jatropha shrubs.  The seeds from Jatropha plants are 40% oil that is so low in glycerine it can be filtered and used in a diesel engine.  The planting program has been hugely successful with over 1,000 farmers enrolled and over 300,000 trees planted to date. 

To close the loop we need to begin processing the oil and selling it, thereby creating the revenue stream to support future seed purchases from the farmers, etc. etc.  We will also be producing an alternative charcoal briquette from the residue left after seed pressing.  Funding for planting 120,000 trees and completion of the pressing-to-market loop was provided by Aid Still Required, a nonprofit that has been working in Haiti since the earthquake in 2010.  We are partnering with Haiti Communitere for support on briquette production and a location for oil production and training of our press Operator. Our farmers are ready to go and we are in discussions relating to in-country oil sales.  Sirona is already ranked as one of the largest producers of jatropha seed, so getting the oil from the seeds to the market is the natural next step.  We are very grateful for the support from Aid Still Required and Haiti Communitaire, and we are very excited as we look into 2014 and see a program that is completely economically self-sustaining that has positive economic and enviornmental impacts for rural Haiti.

Lets Light a Village!

Looking for a charitable holiday gift idea?  Sirona is collecting funds to build Unit 16, a solar powered generating station that recharges portable battery kits for homes for a village in Haiti.  It takes $25,000 to build and deploy a unit that serves 100 homes for ten years.  Homes pay for the service, about $6.25 per month (which is what they are currently paying for kerosene), so the equipment is maintained and will last for ten years. 

Through your gift, 100 homes will receive service from the solar unit, so the cost per family is $250 per home, or $25 per year.  Broken down further, the cost is only $2 per month per family, and if we look at a family of five we are bringing life-changing electricity for just over a penny a day per person.  Energy access is the cornerstone that creates an opportunity to break the grinding cycle of poverty.

The first Unit 16 donor, 9 year old Kian Aime, started this unit with a $200 donation he collected by foregoing birthday gifts in lieu of donations to Sirona.  Once we reach $25,000 we will deploy the unit and let every participating donor know about the village that received the unit with feedback from recipients in their words so you can see the difference that you have made for families who are currently living in darkness and breathing the noxious fumes of kerosene lanterns.

No gift is too small, every gift is tax deductible, and every light makes a huge difference in the villages where we work!  Should you wish to donate as a gift to a friend or family please let us know and we will send that individual a card telling them about our program and the value of their gift to people in need.  Thank you for considering Sirona!

Rural Electricity: Business Can Be Pleasure!

It has been a really busy few days in Haiti. We have traveled to several of our solar stations and had meetings with present Operators and future Operators who make a business of renting portable energy packs (in Haiti they are called Ti Soley for Little Sun). These packs provide light for homes and the ability to charge cell phones or run small devices like radios. The meetings went very well and we left the countryside encouraged by the customers we met along the way. As we were leaving school let out and the kids surrounded the car to say hello. It makes me so happy to know that many of these kids are now able to study by electric light instead of kerosene giving them a brighter today, and tomorrow. This is why we do what we do! Here is a shot from inside the car looking out... It makes me smile.