GWC's Changemakers: Manna Energy

Located in East Africa, Rwanda is a landlocked country with a fast-growing population of nearly nine million. It is the most densely populated country in Africa. Rwanda is very mountainous and poor with over 90 percent of the population working as subsistence farmers. Many families survive by cultivating less than one-third of an acre. In 1994 Rwanda suffered from a horrific genocide, when, over the course of 100 days, as many as one million people were killed. In the aftermath of the genocide, many public services have still not been rebuilt and continue to deteriorate which has led to insufficient amounts of water and broken or leaking pipes. The new government currently lacks the resources to help many remote rural communities.

In such rural communities as Mugonero and Muramba, water borne illness spike during the rainy seasons due to contaminants being washed into the unprotected water sources.

Goals overview

At peak roll-out of 400 units, Manna Energy will employ approximately 400 Rwandan staff, and supplying approximately 338,500 Rwandans (three percent of the total population) with clean water and energy.

Current status

UN certification to generate and sell carbon credits into the EU market. Completion of an operational system at Fawe School in Kigali, Rwanda. Completion of prototype water treatment system at Utexrwa Textile Factory in Kigali, Rwanda. These systems have been used to refine and test the design, and to serve as a demonstration unit for the Government of Rwanda and potential Manna investors. Development and implementation of improved biogas reactor at a secondary school in Rwanda. Development and implementation of high efficiency cookstoves at several sites across Rwanda.

Project plan

Manna Energy's niche in the humanitarian development field is based on two major factors. The first is the experience of Manna Energy staff in rural surface water treatment in Rwanda. The second is the concept of securing carbon credits for the treatment of this water. Manna is the first organization to attempt to do this, based on the premise that a liter of water treated is a liter of water that no longer "should" be boiled for an equivalent public health increase.

Expected outcomes

• 2,500 Rwandans with improved water access
• 2,500 Rwandans with improved sanitatian access
• Installation of biogas generators
• Revenue from carbon credits

The Manna Energy model is unique in the humanitarian development field in that economic sustainability and expansion are generated only by the continued use of the installed projects. Thus a direct incentive ensures the projects success, the units themselve serve to fund further development. This new model eliminates any disconnect between funding and public health goals.

By participating in the UN Millennium Development Goals Carbon Facility, the Manna Energy program is given the opportunity to earn carbon credits through the implementation of "green" technology. The sale of these carbon credits is the source of earned revenue for the program, which help fund the replication of this model to other communities and countries.

In addition, the program provides a chance for the students of Rwanda to focus on their studies, permitting them to thrive without frequent illness attributable to the presently available, frequently contaminated water. By providing a reliable source of clean water, improved sanitation and renewable energy, the Manna Energy program allows for a suppression of the demand for carbon emission while providing significant public health benefits to the communities.