3) Description of your products or services: We have developed a technology using waste fibres from wheat straw, Elephant Grass and Typha Australis (cat tails) as well as other indigenous grasses to make compressed fibre panels for housing, schools, field hospitals, community centres and etc. for low-income peoples.

This system uses renewable as well as biodegradable materials. This sustainable, biodiverse system is unique as it uses local materials versus importing at a much greater cost.

The houses are very low cost, can be built by locals in a very short time, vermin reistant, weather and sound proof, earthquake and high wind resistant, healthy, easy to maintain, long lasting, modular (expand as family expands) functional and attractive. The local farmers/population will be the gatherers and harvestors of the fibres rather than burning the fields after wheat harvest or burning back or slash burning the wild grasses. Using local fibres creates income for locals and has a direct impact on the local as well as the global environment. No burning of fields or depleting the forests.

4) Description of the operational model: The Mill, a continuous extrusion machine in which five processes take place.1 Raw material preparation during which the fibres are loosened and spread along a conveyor belt leading to the compression ram. 2 Compression process, during which the fibres (without any additives) are forced into the extrusion tunnel by the rapid strokes of the. 3 Heating process, during which the compressed fibres are heated by the high temperature (400˚F) of the top and bottom plates of the extrusion tunnel.4 Wrapping process, during which the compressed fibre material is covered on all sides with heavy Kraft paper adhered with a thin film of thermosetting resin adhesive. This wrapping process takes place while the panel is passing through the heated extrusion tunnel.5 Cooling/cutting process,the continuous Insulpanel panelling strip travels along a conveyor line to allow cooling. At the end of the line the strip is cut to the various desired lengths of panels.The Insulpanel panelling consists of a highly compressed fibre core, all surfaces of which are wrapped with heavy Kraft paper. Several agricultural waste fibres can be used as the core material, all of which are available in abundance at low cost. The Insulpanel panelling cross-section dimensions are set at 2 inches thick (5.08 cm) and 47.25inches wide (120 cm). It is then rough-cut to several selected standard lengths from the continuous strip. The factories are built were the grasses are and low income peoples live. Grass = House

5) Description of the financial model: Since the houses are modular and kit packages the majority Low-income peoples will be able to afford either a complete kit or panel by panel. The kits are easily erected by the buyer with a minimum of supervision. Many of the buyers will be either farmers or local gatherers of the grass fibres and will be paid for the raw material or credited with housing panels. The initiative is very self sustaibale and is expected to earn profits after the first year of production. The strategy is high volumes,low costs and low mark ups.

      Client fees represent this approximate percentage of operational budget: 0%

6) Key operational partnership: The main partners are local farm communities,private business entrepreneurs and Regional Governmnts. The major opportunities is to turn waste material into a cash crop. Wheat farmers in developing countries typically burn or turn the straw under after harvest. Burning is a disaster to the environment and turning under depletes the health of the soil. In regards to Elephat Grass, every year a mass burning takes place to push back the encroacment of wild grasses on arable lands.

7) Current outreach:

What is the order of magnitude of the potential demand for your products or services? Which
    other low-income groups, countries or regions could benefit from it? Try to quantify (number
    of clients, market size in currency):
The numbers are beyond calculation and are limited to production capacity. Each Mill can produce 4000 low income homes per year and the Government of Nigeria ahs indicated it requires over 100,000 homes per year. We are also going to produce 100 Prmary Scholls for Northern Nigeria per year during start up. Each factory site can support 3 production lines = 12,000 low income homes per year.

To this . . .

8) Scale-up strategy: