by Meron Lemma, ESES Volunteer
Empowered Solutions for Environmental Sustainability (ESES) is committed to combating plastic accumulation in the environment by empowering micro-entrepreneurs to convert plastic trash to PolyFuel. ESES is on a mission to provide innovative, sustainable, and community-based solutions to address mismanaged plastic waste around the world. We want to help developing communities take control of their waste plastic challenge.
By partnering with UpCycle Africa, a non-profit organization that constructs buildings from plastic bottles, ESES donated 5 PolyFuel processors to individuals who have been working hard to preserve the environment. These individuals have experience working in building sustainable houses and buildings.
This summer, ESES members alongside University of Kentucky students and faculty went to Mpigi, Uganda, and facilitated the donation of PolyFuel processors to hardworking individuals who are passionate about building a more sustainable environment.
Beneficiary 1- Nanukungu Prossy
Nankungu Prossy is a 37-year-old mother of three. She went to school until primary 7. She currently lives in Mpigi and she farms small crops, raises poultry, and rears pigs to earn a living for her and her family.
Prossy is also one of the construction workers at UpCycle Africa where her primary role is to make plastic bottles into stronger building block materials. Her hard work and commitment to preserving our environment are commendable.
She says that she is very happy to be one of the first people to receive the processor. She hopes that the fuel made from the processor will supplement her income and improve her living standards. Additionally, she plans on using some of the fuel she makes to cook in her home.
Beneficiary 2- Lukyamuzi Didas
Didas is a 30-year-old man born in Masaka, Uganda, but he came to Mpigi for work. His one-year-old daughter, Maria, joins us in the interview. Didas says he wants the world to be a better place for Maria and has aspirations that she will become president one day.
He started working at UpCycle in 2014 where he helped construct houses that UpCycle Africa built.
He plans to use the PolyFuel processor to start a small business. He explains his plans to market the idea of fuel made from plastic to people who are not aware of this technology. He aspires to recruit a bigger team of sustainable entrepreneurs that will conserve the world as well as develop their economy.
Beneficiary 3- Vincent Kabale
Vincent Kabale is a 33-year-old man born in Mpigi, Uganda. Kabale currently lives with his mother, wife, and two children in Mpigi. He went to school until primary 7 and then joined a vocational institute where he earned his certificate in Electrical Engineering.
Kabale does many things to sustain himself and his family. For instance, he teaches at a vocational institute once a week. He is also one of the construction workers at UpCycle Africa. Additionally, he owns a motorcycle (Boda Boda) that he rents out for daily income.
Kabale is one of the five recipients of ESES’s PolyFuel processor. Since working with UpCycle Africa, he has developed a passion for the environment and sustainability. When asked how he plans on using the processors, Kabali answers “I plan on selling the fuel obtained from the processor to get money”.