ripple_cn0024
Jeffert Banda â Choma Hill - Charcoal transporter on the side of the road with bicycle. He is from Nkhotakota, as most charcoal runners are not from the same area where they are working. He has a family with 4 kids and a wife, who are living near Mzuzu while he sells charcoal. He transports 4 bags of charcoal on his bike, which weigh between 30-50 kilos per bag, and walks around 40 km a day to get to Mzuzu to sell the charcoal. He buys it for 3,000 kwacha per bag, and sells it for 4,000 kwacha per bag, so at the end of the day (and this is an all day venture, of back breaking labor) â he only takes home 4,000 kwacha in profit. He is educated and needs to provide for his family, but he can see the damage that charcoal and deforestation is doing to the land. He has followed the money to Mzuzu, but eventually there will be no more forest there either and they will be forced to move again if he isnât able to find real work. Ripple Africa asked him to join their conservation team.