Rural Zimbabwe lacks energy sources thus forcing a majority of households to rely heavily on firewood for cooking and/or heating. This has contributed towards the wholesale cutting down of trees thus contributing towards global warming. If the country is to avoid the eradication of its forests new energy sources will have to be found, Biogas may prove to be the solution.

Trained as a mason by the Netherlands Development Organisation SNV, 33 year old Mannick Conick has used his skills and also trained 5 other rural colleagues in constructing biogas facilities in his home area of Chirumhanzu, including, thus far, in different households and in a clinic and a primary school.

According to Connick, he realized that he had to teach others in order to leverage his own training to more quickly serve his community which is heavily dependent on firewood for cooking.

“I was trained for free by SNV and I saw fit to train others on how to construct biogas facilities. Together we have assisted several families by building biogas generators that have improved their livelihoods.

“Trees are life and it is our duty to preserve them hence my goal is to assists in constructing as many biogas facilities in my area as I can, thus safeguarding and preserving the environment,” said Connick

But the job according to Connick hasn’t been easy as he has to mobilize the required resources such as bricks, and then find and train volunteers. “Some people are not all that interested in working for free,” he said.

About 60% of Zimbabwe’s population lives in rural areas so bio gas technology can make a real difference in slowing deforestation.