[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”636″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”full”][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_fade” interval=”3″ images=”678″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Today we had the pleasure of Tom Stein, President of Bonzeb Inc. speaking to our club. Tom is a proud father of eight children and eleven grandchildren. He just celebrated his thirty-eighth wedding anniversary to his wife Eileen. He has been involved in various levels of ministry, business management and missions since 1969. His latest endeavor is once again in Haiti where he created jobs Bonzeb, Inc. and BonZeb Haiti, S.A to create living-wage jobs for Haitian through creation of 250 small businesses, employing 40,000 people.
Tom talked about Haiti and the work he has been doing there. In Haiti, 99% of the county has been deforested to use as energy for boiling water and cooking. The people of Haiti are now cutting down Mango trees to use. In Haiti, water is more important than food. Most children do not go to school during the day because they are fetching water for their families.
There is a elephant grass that grows 4 feet every four months. Elephant grass is in the sugar cane, bamboo family. BonZeb Inc. takes the elephant grass and has the intent to make charcoal as an alternative to mango trees. With a 112 degree smoke free process, the grass carbonizes at 500 degrees. When using the coals it is 95% smoke free, where the mango trees causes a lot of smoke in the indoor cooking, which can lead to black lung.
Water must be boiled to drink. Average walk for water is three miles. A gallon of water weights eight pounds and to take care of the average family it is roughly 4 gallons that a six year old child carries. This is done for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Goal for Haiti is:
Job Creation, while establishing Haitian owned and operated small businesses, through the production of affordable charcoal using environmentally sustainable biomass.
Economic Development
Community Development
20% of the population in Haiti has jobs with the wage being $5 a day (conversion the US dollar it equals $3.60 a day)
Tom starts up non profits with a vision to show them, teach them and watch them show him. 40,000 acres of grass in Haiti will produce charcoal for 9 million people. Planting the seeds is done by hand. A crew of 125 people can prepare an acre a day.
It was a wonderful presentation and a truly eye opening presentation. Tom’s website it listed to read more about the great work being done in Haiti.
http://www.bonzeborg.com
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