Bio-diversity

1.1 Project Summary Following successful project funded under the GEF Small Grant programme and the British High Commission in 2006, MAR/SGP/OP3/22, APEDED has been able to set up a herbal and medicinal tea business at its centre in Chemin Grenier. The expansion of this SME is now an important step towards increasing the income of the 20 women who are involved in the association. Secret Grand-M re , (Grandma Secrets) are some 15 herbal teas prepared from medicinal plants by 20 mothers of disadvantaged children who are given free pre-primary education by the Non-Governmental Organisation, APEDED. This project has also received technical support from the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit of the Ministry of Agro-Industry. The project was initiated in order to help poor women from low-income families overcome financial challenges. The women were trained in the understanding, cultivating and caring of the medicinal plants in a small nursery that was set up on the roof of the pre-primary school. After, the success of this project, APEDED is proposing to build an extra floor on top of the centre where currently the green house is set up. This green house activity will be moved to another plot of land. APEDED has been granted by the Central Electricity Board (CEB), the permission to produce its own electricity through the Small Independent Power Producers Scheme of the Government of Mauritius. The actual consumption of electricity is around 230 kw per month and it is predicted that after installation of the expanded facility, consumption of electricity will be around 600 kw per month. Subsequently, a request is being made to GEF SGP for the funding of the Renewable Energy Project. APEDED has been motivated to engage in its own production of electricity following site visits carried out by engineers from different companies of photovoltaic energy production. They informed that the area and the place are very appropriate for the production of electricity through solar panels. APEDED will look for quotations from three companies. The contract will be allocated after approval from the Board Members of APEDED and the National Coordinator of GEF SGP. This project will be beneficial to the organisation as it will enable the organisation to save in terms of electricity cost as well as to gain by selling the energy to the Central Electricity Board (CEB). 1.1.1 Full justification of project: Through B to B forum organised by SMEDA and Enterprise Mauritius, APEDED has succeeded in obtaining export ventures. We are actually exporting our herbal tea to Reunion Island and China. There has been an increase in our production. Moreover, we will be participating in a B 2 B meeting in France during the Salon International de L` Agro alimentaire (SIAL) Trade Fair this year in October 2012 and in South Africa next year. We are expecting more customers. We are currently producing 1000 packets per month. Our production requirement is around 8,000 packets per month and we have the capacity to do so. There is a need to move the production of herbal tea due to lack of space and increase in order. The green house will be moved and enlarged. Our production of herbal tea will be moved to the first floor, which we intend to build and which will also partly be used for youth empowerment and Capacity Building activities. Using our own renewable energy will reduce our cost of production as most of our production activities require electricity. The extra energy produced will be sold back to the CEB. According to the contractors, there is possibility to sell the extra energy for an average of Rs 325,000 every year (US $ 10,708.40, at Sept 2012 UN Rate of Exchange of 30.35). 1.1.2 Rationale Climate Change Mitigation: Primary Focal Area The photovoltaic process is environmental friendly. Solar energy is a clean, renewable and it is a sustainable source of power. It does not pollute the air, the land and the environment and hence prevents global warming. It is usually produced only on an`as needed` basis and therefore there is no need to store large amounts of power in generators. It does not produce any by products or chemical emissions hence it is not harmful to our health. Biodiversity Conservation: Secondary Focal Area Our project conserves and uses plants which are endemic on nature and which form part of the traditional healing knowledge. 1.1.3 Low Maintenance Once the solar panels are installed, there will be very minor maintenance because they operate silently and they have no moving parts. According to the engineers once they are installed they can work effectively for years. Hence, there will be no maintenance and recurring costs. There is a guarantee of 25 years. 1.2 Organizational Background and Capacity to implement the project Association Pour L Education Des Enfants Defavoris s (APEDED) is a registered benevolent NGO formed in 1996 which works for needy/ neglected children in different regions around the island. We provide access to education and basic life skills to around 200 children at pre-primary level. Moreover, the Association organizes follow up classes for primary children of Std. 4 to 6 at the centre which is situated at Chemin Grenier. We also provide books and school materials to needy children attending secondary schools in different regions. Medical facilities and other extra curriculum activities are also provided to them. In the year 2007: After a survey about the situation of women (mothers whose childre

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