In a bid to fulfill its aim of empowering rural communities in Nigeria, Durian foundation, an NGO set up with focus on improving livelihood at the rural areas has completed its waste to wealth program at its base in Imafon, Ondo state. The foundation has just set up the first of its kind Bamboo center in Nigeria. Bamboo which is commonly referred to as a wild wood is mostly used as local scaffolding in housing construction and other usage but it seems we’ve under-utilized this gift of nature which we have in its numbers in every parts of Nigeria especially the swampy areas. It’s the discovery of this that made the Durian foundation established the bamboo center.
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To bring professionalism into this, two Indians Saji Bomman and Mohandas Perusseril who both have more than ten years experience in making products out of bamboo came to the country in July 2018 to train other individuals in Imafon community. The end product of the training was the exhibition carried out in Imafon on the 2nd of August 2018 by Durian foundation. The importance of this is that it has helped to empower the fifteen beneficiaries that were trained for a better life as they have the requisite knowledge of the conversion of bamboo which is a surplus resources in their environment.
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Apart from serving as a source of empowerment to the trainers who will further go ahead to train others, it will also serve as a means of combating the global challenge the world have with plastics which at the moment is a threat to the environment. According to available data, more than three hundred million tons of plastics are used annually across the world with no defined means of recycling it. The production of bamboo cups, spoons, plates and other items that are easily recycled is a solution to that.
This will also spur the growth of our rural areas as hubs for creativity and innovation
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