LuoYueSheng dreams about an easier life on «The Mountain of the bachelors»

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After walking to the top of GuangGu'er Shan " in China, I meet a smiling LuoYueSheng (66). " GuangGu'er Shan" literally means "the mountain of the bachelors”.

According to Chinese tradition, women move to their husband's home and become part of his family when they marry. So, the name of this mountain village implies that life is so tough here that women do not want to marry men from this village because they simply do not want to live here.

Luo Yuesheng is, however, one of the lucky ones who did get married. He and his wife Xiang Huiyu (61) have been blessed with two daughters, three sons and six grandchildren. Their youngest son is in fact their next-door neighbour. He helps his parents on the farm because the young man's right arm is paralyzed and he therefore has difficulty getting work in the big cities. The other children of Luo Yuesheng work in Zhejiang. LuoYueSheng is proud of his children and grandchildren, but he also admits that he finds life here in the village quite tough.

I enjoy a nice cup of tea around the fire in the kitchen and feel very thankful for the knee-high rubber boots I am wearing.  Mud has reached all the way up to the top of the boots after we trudged up the mud road up the mountain. It's nice to feel the warm cup and the warm fire as we are chatting. It is very cold now - even inside. LuoYueSheng is poor, but is prepared for our visit. He has a huge pile of twigs and logs that he has gathered for our visit. The flames eat the wood in a hurry while we sit there and warm our hands.

Luo Yuesheng and Xiang Huiyu dream of installing biogas on the farm. They are also interested in courses that can help them grow better crops. "Are you saying that biogas installations could potentially change the name of the village?” I ask somewhat confused. "Yes, we hope so!" responds Luo YueShen and smiles.

Waste from the toilet, the animal pen and any kitchen waste all goes into the tank under the farm. The air-tight tank transforms the biomass waste into methane. Thus, renewable energy is made. This gas is odourless and produces no smoke, and can be used for cooking and lighting. When the "mixture" has produced the gas, the sludge and slurry that comes out of the tank is now organic fertilizer of high quality. So, Luo YueSheng would not only get gas for cooking and lighting, but also good organic fertilizer for his fields.

In addition to increasing revenue, reducing costs and freeing up time for poor farmers, biogas is helping to improve the status of women, improving health and hygiene as well as protecting the environment.

LuoYueSheng and his family, would be saving approximately 3500 kg in wood per year if they could get biogas. As deforestation is a major problem China, reducing the number of people using wood for cooking makes a big difference.

Over the past five years, NMS has made it possible for over 1,000 families in Yongshun in Hunan Province to get biogas digesters on their farms. In the next year, we want to give biogas digesters to many more people including Luo Yuesheng and Xiang Huiyu on " The Bachelor Mountain ".

For about one hundred pounds, you can provide a biogas tank for one family on the "The mountain of the Bachelors". By supporting this project, help fight poverty, protect the environment and improve women's health. LuoYueSheng and his wife Xiang Huiyu can enjoy a biogas tank that can last 20-30 years. Would you like to make this a reality? Click here to find out how you can support this project.