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August 22, 2013
On August 22th, 2013, the Association Pour l’Education des Enfants Defavorises (APEDED), a grantee of the GEF Small Grants Programme, won the “Emerging Exporters Gold Award”.
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Founded in 1996, APEDED dedicated itself to children who could not afford the schools. Anooradah Poorun, the founder of APEDED, began to ponder upon the idea of herbal tea production in 2006, when the mothers of those children lost their jobs because of the closing down of textiles factories in the country. “Since I have already taken courses in medicinal plants in India, why not put it into practice? This could help the women to have an income source, and at the same time encourage them to become entrepreneurs", says Ms. Poorun.
In 2007, SGP supported APEDED to set up a small nursery to produce organic herbal tea on the roof of the pre-primary school, training the 20 mothers of the children supported by APEDED. SGP harnessed co-financing for the purchase of a dehydrator from the British High Commission. The Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU) of the Ministry of Agro-industry offered technical assistance and know-how. This initiative which puts emphasis on eradication of poverty and empowerment of women was inscribed in the spirit of promoting the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits from its use as advocated by the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
As the project goes on and as orders for the herbal teas soared, APEDED became aware of the vast amount of electricity consumed in the project and its impact on climate change. At the beginning APEDED was selling around 1,000 pieces per month. Currently, the association has a production capacity of about 8,000 pieces per month and it is estimated to double by next year. To develop a more environmentally friendly energy supply system, APEDED grasped the opportunity provided by the Government’s new scheme for small independent power producers and applied to SGP for a second grant of US $50,000 in 2012. As a result, 48 photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof, covering 72 square meters.
APEDED is the first NGO to use renewable energy as electricity source for sustainable livelihoods. The solar-powered production unit generates annually around 14 065 kWh electricity, of which some 10,000 KWh will be sold to the grid for an estimated revenue of US $ 6,000. As a result, 10 tons of CO2 emissions will be reduced and 52 trees will be saved annually.
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Just 2 months before in June 2013, Ms. Poorun received the Green Africa Award in the category of Highly Commendable Award – African Women for Change”. In June 2011 she won “The Pride of India Leadership Award” from the Government of India and the GOPIO for her leadership role in social work, amongst which the SGP project. In May 2012 she won the “Gender Links Award at national level in the “Local Economic Growth” category. She has presented this project in several international forum.
Background for editors
About the GEF
The GEF unites 183 countries in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. An independently operating financial organization, the GEF provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants.
Since 1991, GEF has achieved a strong track record with developing countries and countries with economies in transition, providing $11.5 billion in grants and leveraging $57 billion in co-financing for over 3,215 projects in over 165 countries. For more information, visit www.thegef.org.
About the GEF Small Grants Programme
Launched in 1992, GEF SGP supports activities of nongovernmental and community-based organizations in developing countries towards climate change abatement, conservation of biodiversity, protection of international waters, reduction of the impact of persistent organic pollutants and prevention of land degradation while generating sustainable livelihoods.
Since its creation, GEF SGP has provided over 16,500 grants to communities in over 125 developing countries. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a corporate programme, GEF SGP is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the GEF partnership, and is executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Media contacts:
- Ana Maria Currea, KM and Communications Specialist, GEF SGP, ana.maria.currea@undp.org , 646-781-4353
- Christian Hofer, Senior Communication Officer chofer@TheGEF.org, (202) 458-0938 www.TheGEF.org