Beyond Reintegration: How Formerly Incarcerated Women are Leading Waste-to-Energy Solutions
In this episode, we hear from Cedric Alusa, Communications Manager at Clean Start Africa, and Jane Kiio, a remarkable rehabilitated woman who is now a 'Trainer of Trainers' with the organization.
Cedric introduces Clean Start Africa as a social enterprise dedicated to rehabilitating and reintegrating formerly incarcerated women who face challenges including the absence of good conduct certificates, societal stigma and poverty.
He explains that vulnerable women often resort to odd jobs that lead to them to jail on account of petty offenses due to their inability to afford legal representation or fines.
Jane, a mother of four, shares her experience of six years in prison. She explains that Clean Start Africa provides intensive, two-month training covering economic activities, crucial life skills, and business acumen, empowering these women for successful reintegration and livelihood.
One of their core economic activities, relevant to climate change mitigation, is the making of charcoal briquettes. Jane explains the process which involves utilizing charcoal dust and carbonized potato peels, materials sourced from waste, thus managing environmental impact. These are compressed into briquettes using machines, which the women have innovatively improved for better burning results and efficiency, moving beyond manual compression.
The briquettes offer numerous eco-friendly advantages, including longer burning times and reduced smoke, addressing health concerns.
This initiative not only provides income for the women but also helps manage organic waste and reduces deforestation by offering an alternative to traditional charcoal.
They hope to expand this model to other counties, leveraging on locally available waste like sugarcane waste in Nyanza, rice husks in Kirinyaga, and banana peels in Meru. They are advocating for partnerships to help spread these sustainable practices and empower more women.
They also call for a revision of petty offense laws. They recommend alternative corrective measures, including engaging women found to have committed petty offences in climate-related responses like tree planting and waste collection. This approach would address both social justice and environmental sustainability.
