Entrepreneurs Without Frontiers Foundation
| Type | Certificates or Charters |
|---|---|
| Sector | Voluntary Sector |
| Business size | 10-49 |
| Area of green Expertise | Funding |
| Business network/ Club membership |
Koning Boudewijn Stichting, Plan Vivo, 4de pijler, MVO Vlaanderen, Filantropie, Kauri |
| Website | www.ozg.be |
| Contact | Contact this case study |
PROFIT FOR PEOPLE AND PLANET is the tagline of EWF. We are including the triple-P as a vision in entrepreneurship since we are convinced that the process of decision-making in companies is more than ever being influenced by (f)actors such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), sustainability, environment, climate change and by negotiation with several bodies like governments and unions.
The balance between the 3 Ps is essential for a long-term quality society. Our entrepreneurial background allows us to stress the importance of profit as a part of development that should not be neglected. To keep our independence, we generate income from companies rather than from government agencies. In order to attract enterprises to co-operate, we have developed a product in which companies are interested since they find PROFIT for themselves as well.
To elaborate our triple P vision with a non-traditional view on development, we decided to work together with PEOPLE and governments in Western Africa. We strongly believe in empowerment of the local people. Their co-operation results in a win-situation for themselves. The time of handing over money in an envelope is outdated, and long proved inefficient. Marketing our product, and thus realizing our goals, we are attempting to serve the PLANET.
Reforestation in Sahel-region (Western Africa). The Sahelian climate is very irregular with a high risk of repeated bad years of low rainfall. Its environment is characterized by high degradation of soil resources due to over-exploitation in combination with intermittent extreme drought conditions. This fact produces a negative impact on sustainable development as it leads to desertification and reduces food crops and fodder production. That is why local populations (both static and nomadic) are exposed to a continuous risk of food crises in bad years. Sahelian soils must be managed in order to enable the nutritional reconstitution and to combat further degradation.
In this environment the combination of opening up the soils with a specially adapted plough followed by afforestation by sowing grains of acacia and other local trees (thus establishing new natural forests) has various positive effects:
- Reducing and stopping desertification or the desertification process thanks to controlled erosion and water runoff
- The fixation of the land and soil nutrients enrichment
- Providing local populations with an additional source of income as the acacias produce Arabic gum which can be sold on the market as cash crop. At the same time substantial quantities of fodder become available at the end of the dry season to feed extra livestock without damaging the environment.
- Awakening rural populations to a sustainable use of the natural resources and reducing forest fires
- Extra income from CO2 sequestration within the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) with money generated by investors who want to purchase the Certified Emission Reductions generated from the afforestations once established
- Responding to the Mali Government objectives in applying the recommendations of the Kyoto Protocol and thus reducing the effects of Climate Change locally and globally
We realized our first goal in Lilengo (NE Burkina Faso). Upon Inspecting the site in October 2010, we established that the project had started properly and that the timing is on schedule. Surely, our intense preparation contributed to this fact: we spent the necessary time on the prior sociological consultation of all parties involved, mainly on the local level. We use grasses and trees, that can grow and survive in this arid region. The locals are happy to see that biodiversity gets strengthened. This leads to a quality improvement of livestock, both for nomads and locals as their cattle have more and richer food. The involvement of the community and the implementation of EWF’s charter contributed to the fact that 170 children are now enjoying part-time school classes every day. Besides, improvement of the environment is obvious. The water table is increasing and desertification has been halted because wind erosion has less effect. The actual sequestration of CO2 will be measurable in 2013.
Memberships: Koning Boudewijn Stichting, Plan Vivo, 4de pijler, MVO Vlaanderen, Kauri, Filantropie.be
Winning Award: Award Umicore 2009
It’s a fact now (Aug 2011) and confirmed by the government of Burkina Faso! Entrepreneurs Without Frontiers Foundation is the first organization in the world who realized a CDM project (Clean Development Mechanism) in Burkina Faso with reforestation. This first project realizes a fixation of 10.000T CO2. The consequences arising from this project are employment, food and education. We are working intensively on the path we have taken to become also in Mali the very first organization in the world who realizes a CDM project with reforestation! The project in Mali will fixate 400.000T CO2, creates an employment of 2000 eq and education for 6000 pupils. The consequences for the environment ara a higher groundwater level and a stop to the desertification of the land. This investment in Carbon Fixation creates a local economy for 14 villages or a future for more than 14.000 people!
Expertise in communication with written press and television. We also make green documentaries to communicate with all stakeholders.
