News - May 2003
Las Melidas publishes calendar
As part of their marketing strategy for MCR tiles, the women´s organization Las Melidas in El Salvador, has published a calendar for 2003. Not only does it have a photo montage of MCR production and roofs, it also has the names and addresses of the seven MCR workshops throughout the country. Congratulations go out to these dynamic MCR workshops.
CHP construction goes ahead in Otjiwarongo
An EU evaluation of projects in Namibia included the CHP/SODI project in Otjiwarongo. As the evaluator expressed pleasure at what she saw, a positive outcome of the evaluation is likely. Not even the Easter weekend could stop the enthusiasm of the builders who were working full time and during those days erected the walls of seven houses. At the moment, transport of bricks is the main problem because of the incredible speed of the builders.
Producing bricks with sawdust briquettes
In a village in the Municipality of Fomento in Cuba the first brick factory that uses briquettes of biomass and clay, developed by CIDEM, is producing bricks. When the brickmaker saw how to produce these briquettes, he immediately began his own experimental production which he tested in a burning. It comes out cheaper to buy firewood, but aboveall I do not have to go and look for it nor ask anyone for persmission, said the ingenious producer. He explained that now a neighbor produces the briquettes and he buys them delivered to his brick factory.
Youth MCR workshop in Zimbabwe
A core group of youth educated in the 2002 MCR technology transfer program has formed Kiclah Investments (Private) Limited. The quality of their tiles is excellent, passing 85kg in the bending strength test and many even passing 100kg. Not only has the Kiclah group picked up the technical aspects well, they have also absorbed many management principles in a complementary training program. We wish this entrepreneurial group well in the future.
