Report 1 (of 5): A Profitable Sentence - Uganda

Introduction

Covering 69,000 square kilometres, Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest inland body of water. It borders the nations of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. About 30 per cent of Uganda is covered by water and ultimately, most people depend upon the lake for their livelihood. More and more acres of Lake Victoria are disappearing beneath water hyacinth and it is estimated that 100 square kilometres of the lake’s surface is covered by the weed.

The high doubling rate of the water hyacinth - under ideal conditions, quantities can double every two weeks - means that it has become a major environmental nuisance. It grows in mats up to two metres thick which can reduce light and oxygen, change water chemistry, affect flora and fauna and cause significant increases in water loss. It also causes practical problems for marine transportation and fishing and it is now considered a serious threat to biodiversity.

Lake Victoria, Uganda

Extensive amounts of water hyacinth have clogged the Port Bell Pier which is the main outlet to Uganda on Lake Victoria. This is hampering the fishing canoes used in local water transport systems, fishing, navigation, and the incomes and livelihoods of the communities dependent on the lake. There are now more inaccessible shorelines, more unreachable fishing areas and less fish because of the increased plant coverage reducing the oxygen in the lake.

Rehabilitation of Prisoners in the Luzira Prisons

The Murchison Bay Reserve, situated ten kilometres outside Kampala and lying adjacent to Port Bell Pier, houses a group of prisons which hold 60 per cent of Uganda’s total prison population. The Luzira prisons are mainly inhabited by capital offenders serving at least five year sentences and often, life imprisonment. As a form of rehabilitation, there are several training programmes that some of the inmates can join, for example, carpentry, tailoring and leather works.

The initial phase of eradicating the water hyacinth from Lake Victoria focused on simply harvesting it and using it as animal feed but environmentally friendly solutions for the raw material have been sought with a view to improving prison welfare.

The Mennonite Committee

In Bangladesh, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) carried out experiments using water hyacinth to make rope which could then be woven around bamboo frames to make furniture. MCC now assists furniture makers in Bangladesh with designs and helps them to market their environmentally friendly products.

A group of Mennonites in Uganda passed on the information about water hyacinth being used in Bangladesh to make crafts and furniture to the Upper Prison in Kampala. The Upper Prison holds about 2,000 maximum security prisoners and it has taken them two years to learn the techniques that transform the hyacinth stems into a range of saleable products.

The weed is processed to make ropes which can then be used to make furniture and handicrafts for selling, such as shopping baskets and carrying baskets, as well as sleeping mats for the prisoners. MCC also gave the prison instructions for water hyacinth paper making which uses 50 per cent hyacinth stem and 50 per cent waste paper although this was not as popular amongst the prisoners.

The Processing of Water Hyacinth

• Collect the water hyacinth from the lake.
• Transport the weed from the lake to the prison - a distance of two and a half kilometres
• Remove the roots and leaves - these can be used as raw materials to sustain a biogas plant
• Split the stems lengthways and allow to dry in the sun for a day.
• Scrape out the inner pith of the stems with a knife.
• Allow the stems to dry in the sun for a further three days.
• Soak in a solution of sodium metabisulphite or caustic soda and water for one hour (to preserve the fibre and stop the rope from rotting) - these chemicals are totally utilised during processing leaving a chemical free residue at the end of the process.
• Dry in the sun for 5 to 6 hours.
• Cut the stems lengthways into strips (the width depends on the diameter of the rope required).
• Prepare rope by braiding three strips of dried stem.
• Optional - the rope can be boiled in dye at this stage.
• Cut off loose strands from the rope.
• Weave furniture or handicrafts.

Transporting the Water Hyacinth

Water hyacinth is 95 to 97 per cent water and it is bulky and heavy. Once it has been dried out in the sun, an entire truckload of water hyacinth reduces to a sack of stems weighing only 10 kilogrammes. This means that to make enough rope for one armchair or two dining chairs a full truckload is needed. Transportation of the harvested weed is costly due to its extremely high water content, although chopping can reduce the volume and the water content.

Benefits of the Water Hyacinth Art-Craft

The water hyacinth furniture trade is labour intensive which reduces the idleness of the prisoners and equips them with skills they will be able to use after they are released. It also improves their self worth and dignity. Each of the inmates earns 2 per cent of the profits on every item produced. This provides them with an opportunity to generate income while in prison so that they can purchase small commodities like cigarettes and toothpaste.

Finance andTraining

The project is financed by a grant from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Small Grants Programme of the Global Environment Facility. It is targeting 500 convicted male and female long term prisoners. The inmates from Upper Prison are training women from the neighbouring jail in the techniques of manufacturing water hyacinth furniture and craft products. The authorities believe that as well as the financial benefits derived from the water hyacinth processing, the activity is helping prisoner rehabilitation.

The prisoners are trained in weaving and handicraft skills by external experts and environmental bodies. The training covers environmental education and biodiversity conservation issues; weaving; crafts making and design; paper making; and disposal methods. An effective training programme must also involve training trainers so that the project remains sustainable in the prison. Eventually, it is hoped that the project will be self sustaining through the sale of products.

Marketing

The East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS) is helping with the marketing of the water hyacinth products from the prison. Currently the outlet channels are the prison showroom, exhibitions in the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, displays at the Parliamentary Buildings and CNN adverts. Individual orders can also be taken directly.

It is hoped that the removal of the water hyacinth from the lake will improve the terrestrial life, maintain the food source, transport and other commercial activities as well as improve the livelihoods of the communities dependent on the lake.

For further information, please contact:

Intermediate Technology would like to thank the Prisons Water Hyacinth Team for producing the original material on the Water Hyacinth Art-Craft Training Project.

Further reading available from ITDG Development Bookshop

Appropriate Technology Journal Vol 24 No 4 March 1998 (Technical Brief)
£4.00 (ITP)

Use Water Hyacinth!
Keith Lindsey and Hans-Martin Hirt
A practical handbook of uses for water hyacinth from across the world
£12.95 (Anamed)

TVE/ Practical Action gratefully acknowledge support for the HANDS ON programmes from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission (EC), the UN Foundation and UNDP/The Equator Initiative in collaboration with the Government of Canada, IDRC, IUCN, BrasilConnects and the Nature Conservancy.