For decades the humble traditional borehole and handpump has been the staple option for rural water supply in much of sub-saharan Africa. Situated in the centre of a single community, these hand pumps can usually only serve around 300-400 people. But in the last 20 years or so, and certainly in the last 10 years,… Read the full article >
Fighting COVID-19 in rural Sierra Leone
After over a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all familiar with the need to clean our hands with soapy water after touching communal surfaces – be it door handles, handrails or the like. But what if you live somewhere without running water, like rural Sierra Leone? With limited access to healthcare, the potential… Read the full article >
We’ve reached every eligible community in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone!
CO2balance has now rehabilitated every borehole in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, that are eligible under the Gold Standard. This comes as CO2balance prepares to issue its first credits from these projects – the first Gold Standard clean water credits from Sierra Leone. [Eligibility here refers to those boreholes which have broken down, in… Read the full article >
Turning the tide in Africa’s 5000-year fight against desertification
Did you know that the Sahara Desert used to be green? The vast expanse of dusty desert and blistering sand was, 9000 years ago, a lush green savannah. This period was known as the ‘Neolithic Subpluvial’, a time of mega-lakes surrounded by grasslands and wildebeest and early human settlements[1]. Then, about 5000 years ago, the… Read the full article >
Eritreans have a new name for Cookstoves: the ‘Saviour Stove’
Desey is a 47-year-old grandmother who lives out in the Eritrean desert, south of the capital city Asmara. It is a forbidding landscape of rock and mountain, which has been almost completely deforested. Desey and her family were forced to buy firewood everyday, simply to cook and feed herself and her family, spending a lot… Read the full article >
Introducing myself
Hi everyone, I’m Oscar, the new Carbon Projects Officer joining the CO2balance team here in sunny Taunton. I’m told this is a tradition, so allow me to introduce myself. I’ve always loved the natural world, so initially went down the path of science, studying for a Masters in Applied Ecology at Imperial College London. Yet… Read the full article >