Malawi, Laos, Brazil and Burkina Faso are this year's chosen destinations where the winning projects of the AVI International grant will be developed. This is the third staging of the project following the celebrated 2011 and 2012 editions, in which 94 project workers participated. In order to launch each of the projects, the following four ideas will receive a grant of 1000 Euros as well as free travel insurance:
Introduction of Malawian children to Permaculture
An encounter with his Belgium neighbour gave Frédéric Mary the idea for his project: To create a garden of fruits and vegetables in accordance with permaculture, in which the children of Malawian would take the lead. Frédéric, who after leaving his job in 2006 and cycling around the world, settled in the African nation and began working with the Kunyumba Association. The organization welcomes 21 handicapped and orphaned children, in a society where 35% of the black population are affected by AIDS. The project was selected with the aim of “encouraging more young people to achieve things by themselves."
Recycling and transforming coffee crop waste into mushrooms
For each kilo of coffee crop waste, 200 grams of mushrooms can be salvaged. During the transformation project, they have become the beneficiaries of other grants from AVI, PaulinePetit and RomainDesnoux in as little as only 25 and 28 years respectively. The benefits this project has brought to Brazilian farming are three-fold: on one hand, it creates greater dietary diversification, on the other, it brings income to the local population and lastly, it provides a purpose for the use of cattle. In addition, the project allows freedom for women who are involved in the work. This project has already been developed in Columbia and has become a business able to employ 15,000 people.
Installation of drinking water and toilet facilities
The third prize will make its way to Laos, where Jean-Michel Courtois, shocked by the appalling sanitary conditions suffered by some communities, has decided to launch a project that will provide drinking water and installed toilets as well as provide training to educate people about hygiene.
Construction of an associative primary school
Lastly, the winner of the 2011CarolineTerjan award is again worthy of a grant this year, thanks to the Educa´Bobo project, an associative school will be built in Burkina Faso.