To be honest, all the 12 finalists are great and doing fantastic work, but we know Sanu Kaji Shrestha, founder of FoST, personally and we have seen his actions.

Very important is that FoST is not targeting only one certain group or only one certain problem. They are looking for answers and solutions to stop the vicious circle the rural and urban poor are facing not only in Nepal, but on our whole planet.

With their simple, but highly effective solutions they are fighting important global problems such as:

- POVERTY (by educating and empowering communities, teach them how to save costs, creating opportunities for them to earn extra money and even start their own business)

- POLLUTION (by introducing more sustainable technologies and clean renewable energies such as solar power for daily use)

                                                   

- WASTE AND GARBAGE (by using waste such as all kinds of paper wastes, saw dust, scrap wood from the furniture industries, grass, leaves, rice husk, bagasse, roots .... to make briquettes as fuel)

- DEFORESTATION (by using briquettes made from waste instead of wood)



- DESERTIFICATION / LANDSLIDES  (caused by clearing of trees and plants for firewood)

- ILLNESSES CAUSED BY INDOOR AIR POLLUTION such as eye and lung diseases (by introducing more efficient cooking stoves creating less smoke)

- ILLNESSES CAUSED BY CONTAMINATED WATER such as diarrhoea, parasites, cholera... (by introducing simple water purification systems working on solar power)

- ILLNESSES CAUSED BY LACK OF HYGIENE (by introducing simple hygienic solar drying devices - food is longer kept and of better quality)

- HIGH FUEL COSTS FOR COOKING (by teaching people how to make their own fuel briquettes from waste materials, therefor lowering their daily costs of fuel (20% of daily costs). Fuels such as fire wood, kerosene and L.P. gas are becoming more and more expensive)

- OUTCASTS (by empowering and educating orphans, handicapped, blind, deaf, mentally retarded, people suffering from diseases or suffering because of an accident... FoST empowers them by education and teaches them skills enabling them to be independent and important to the community)

- TIME CONSUMING DAILY TASKS such as fetching wood for cooking (by creating more efficient cooking devices - cooking with briquettes and / or solar power)

- DRUDGERY OF POOR WOMEN in rural communities in Nepal (by educating and empowering rural women)


WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES OF FOST?

The organization FoST is providing low-cost, low-tech, easily adaptable and locally built sustainable technologies to improve the lives of the poor people living in the rural areas of Nepal and to protect the very fragile environment of Nepal.

They have been providing wide selection of products for cooking, drying, heat retaining and water purification using both solar and other environment-friendly sustainable technologies.

They are also working to further empower Nepalis, especially the poor, women and handicapped, by providing training and employment opportunities through projects designed to create micro-enterprises in sustainable technology.

With very limited resources they are doing research and they are constantly evaluating existing sustainable technologies and adapting them to the specific resources and needs of Nepal.

FoST is also offering education to improve the lives of the poor people living in the rural areas of Nepal. They regularly organize interactive training workshops and seminars for community members and schools to educate the public on the need for sustainable technologies and to protect the very fragile environment.