Malawi: using prisoner poop converted to biogas for cooking

It’s 6:00 am inside Mulanje Prison in southern Malawi. The sound of voices coming from inside of cells marks the beginning of the day, as prisoners put on their regulation white shirts and shorts. For inmate Julius Motha, 28, this is the time to operate the biogas digester, a plastic contraption about the size of a standard fuel tanker.ADVERTISINGIt converts organic waste, such as prisoner’s faeces, to gas energy and powers the cooking pots for their daily meals.He’s one of more than 200 prisoners here who are on remand, while others have been convicted of various crimes from around the local districts.The initiative put in place by United Purpose, a local charity, is an attempt to control deforestation in the district and the country, which has seen a huge loss of trees for timber, charcoal and firewood for cooking.The aid group trained Motha and other inmates and staff on how to maintain the system. The prisoners told Africa Calling that life is easier now than when they had to chop wood