The Full Belly Project - Previous Works

Help others in direct & meaningful ways!

For much of 2008, The Full Belly Project focused R&D efforts on developing easily replicable, inexpensive devices to help organizations all over the world to replicate the Meds and Food for Kids RUTF system.

Previous Works

Haiti: The message below comes from one of our favorite clients, Meds and Food for Kids based in Port au Prince Haiti.

Meds and Food needed an inexpensive way to process their peanuts. They had looked into large industrial equipment that would have cost them $10,000 plus shipping.

The organization had an opportunity to see one of these industrial sized machines working in another city in Haiti. They found that because the Haitian peanuts are so small the industrial machine was unable to shell most of them and would have been a waste of money.

Having received one of our hand-cranked Universal Nut Shellers, Executive Director, Patricia Wolff requested an electric powered sheller.

In November of 2007, The Full Belly Project received $2,000 from a donor, whose name is omitted here for purposes of anonymity, and with these funds we were able to set Meds and Food for kids up with an electric powered sheller.

In just two weeks time The Full Belly Project turned our Pedal Powered Agricultural Center into an Electric Powered Agricultural Center that is capable of processing peanuts all day long.

The Full Belly Project sees this as a momentous step towards providing options for groups like Meds and Food for Kids who deliver an amazing product, a peanut butter based RUTF (Ready to Use Therapeutic Food). These RUTFs are needed in most developing countries. They are extremely effective at reversing the malnutrition for severely malnourished children. With just $2,000 The Full Belly Project was able to increase Meds and Food For Kids output for this product. This means that MORE children will live, and will grow to be healthy productive adults.

Please Read the kinds words we received from Dr. Wolff.

Jan 6, 2008
Dear Full Belly Project,

Just wanted to get you some numbers for the Electric Powered de-sheller. I talked to Dumel today and he tells me that we have quadrupled our output with your fine machine- to about 400 kg per day.

Thanks for all that you do!

Pat
Patricia B. Wolff, M.D.
Executive Director
Meds & Food for Kids
Philippines: In 2006, The Full Belly Project collaborated with the MIT graduate student, Illac Diaz to bring the Universal Nut Sheller to the Philippines. According to Mr. Diaz, "Peanuts are a popular source of protein and are widely available in the islands, especially in the Northern provinces where a more moderate temperature and soil conditions have made the areas a source for commercial production of the crop.
Guyana: In March of 2007 The Full Belly Project travelled to Guyana, South America with representatives from the Universities of Florida and Georgia and USAID/Peanut Collaborative Research Support Program to provide consultation.

The purpose of this collaboration was to determine the needs of the Amer-indians in the Rupinuni region of Guyana.

This area of the world is filled with vast expanses of uninhabited land. Labor is few and far between and effeciency is a necessity.

The collaborative group decided to test the impact of two Pedal Powered Agricultural Processors and four Universal Nut Shellers. These devices were sent to the Rupununi to determine the people's preference to hand-power or pedal power.

The shellers are used for a school lunch program which provides children with protein from peanut butter. The shellers have become vital tools for this program, with a preference for the Pedal Powered machine due to its effciency.
Ghana: In January of 2006 MIT's D-Lab travelled to Ghana and introduced the Universal Nut Sheller there on behalf of The Full Belly Project.

Since then, we have worked with returned Peace Corps volunteers, Rotary clubs and Elon University to send several kits to Ghana. The Peace Corps were introduced to the Universal Nut Sheller by a volunteer who returned to Ghana after volunteering with The Full Belly Project. He was able to introduce the sheller to his former village in Northern Ghana where aid is most greatly needed.

The Following is an excerpt from an email we received from the field:

Probably the best moment I had in, Sokode, Ghana this year was seeing the smile on the woman's face in the picture when she realized how the machine (sheller)worked. People were really delighted to have it and thought it would be valuable. The instructors from Ho Polytechnic took photos of the whole process and were intent on building more.

Thanks again for making this all possible.
Kenya: In May 2007 The Full Belly Project travelled from Uganda to Kenya. We were invited by the United Nations Millennium Village Project (UN MVP). The Full Belly Project donated four Universal Nut Shellers for the village of Sauri, Kenya.

The UN MVP directors were excited by the versatility of the sheller. The Full Belly Project performed demonstrations at several of the villages. At each demonstration, the locals shelled some of their peanuts and then with a quick adjustment they shelled their dried coffee.

One farmer explained to us that he normally sells his 50 kilo sacks of dried coffee for $25. He shelled one entire bag in fifteen minutes time. Once he was done, he literally danced a jig with glee because he could now sell his shelled coffee for up to $250, ten times as much as the unshelled coffee.

One of the UN MVP directors explained that the average annual income for many of the coffee farmers was $300. The Universal Nut Sheller had made a significant and instantaneous economic impact.
Uganda: In 2005, The Full Belly Project worked with Rotary International to provide a shipping container of completed Universal Nut Shellers, molds and parts, to Ugandan Rotarian's. This effort introduced 120 Universal Nut Shellers all over Uganda.

The effort created a buzz about the machine, but it also created an supply issue. The Ugandan Rotarian's didn't take the molds and replicate the shellers as was once hoped.

To create a more sustainable effort The Full Belly Project worked to locate a local entrepreneur who would carry the torch.

In the summer of 2007 the Full Belly Project collaborated with Nourish International who raised the initial start-up funds for the establishment of a pilot production facility in Iganga, Uganda. The Full Belly Project and Nourish group successfully trained 3 local workers to manufacture the Universal Nut Sheller. The sheller was demonstrated throughout Uganda and introduced to a variety of potential buyers in an effort to jump-start sales for the local entrepreneur Mr. Henry Masagazi.

There is an ongoing economic impact study being conducted in Uganda. We hope to have some concrete figures on how the Universal Nut Shellers are changing lives.
Mali: In April 2008 The Full Belly Project collaborated with Mali-Biocarburant to establish a Universal Nut Sheller Production facility.

The operation is run by Hugo Verkuijl, an agricultural economist. Mr. Verkuijl was keen to establish a production line for his Jatropha farmers.

Mali-Biocarburant has over 1,000 farmers who sell their jatropha seeds to press the oil, which is turned into bio-diesel.

Mali Biocarburant plans to expand to 4 collection facilities in Mali and to expand into Burkina-Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, and Niger with 4 collection sites in each country by the end of 2010. This expansion will require over 1000 Universal Nut Shellers for approximately 5000 farmers.