Blog Archive

Shaibu Hamisi and Said Mshana, two of our Tanzanian rat trainers, have been working in APOPO’s Mozambique Mine Action Program since December. In order to prepare for their work in the real mine field, they have been learning the ropes and getting all of the necessary training from the team in Mozambique.

Like our HeroRATs, all our staff members must pass the official accreditation test from the National Institute of Demining in Mozambique (IND) before they can begin actual demining work.

APOPO’s Remote Explosive Scent Tracing (REST) program and resident analytical chemist Negussie Beyene are excited to receive new instruments (headspace sampler and mass spectrometric detector) to aide in their work to analyze explosive vapors. Previously, it used to take them a full working day to extract explosive compounds from contaminated soils to be ready for analysis by the gas chromatograph.

Miraji started with APOPO in 2005 as a trainer, but received his first contract with us in 2002 as a casual worker. He helped to build the training field we still use today and laid out the boxes in which our rats train. Prior to starting with us, Miraji was a carpenter who built roofs, houses, furniture, and fences. He currently trains a number of rats with his training partner, Linda, including: Munah, Sasha, Raula, Cooper, Stanley, Harvey, Survivor I, Sniffles, Mtarami, Letti, and Barker.

BBC World News will be launching a new 8-part series on social entrepreneurs later this month called, “Alvin’s Guide to Good Business.” Alvin Hall, a business veteran with 25 years experience on Wall Street, travels the world meeting social entrepreneurs, business leaders more interested in doing good than making money, to learn and advise them on how to make their enterprises even more effective.