“A pencil that changes the world, through that pencil we plant trees.”
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Statistically, 82,000 trees are cut every year to make pencils.
00:06 If you look at the number, that's quite a lot.
00:08 We are discouraging the cutting of trees by taking these cutted newspapers
00:14 and recycling them into a product that is used worldwide.
00:21 The intention was not just to create a product for the sake of creating a product,
00:26 but to come up with a product that is going to empower the society.
00:30 Whoever went through a classroom used a pencil.
00:34 Be it a president, a doctor, an engineer, a politician.
00:37 Whether you're a leader or a scientist, a pencil is the first tool that you ever encounter in your life.
00:42 My name is Bashid Omar.
00:44 My name is Mahmoud Omari.
00:46 Our vision is a pencil that changes the world.
00:50 [Mongo Pencils]
00:52 Mongo Pencils came about as an idea.
01:02 We got together, me and my partners, about five years ago.
01:07 We were looking for an activity that was going to keep us occupied,
01:10 but at the same time be able to leave a legacy behind.
01:13 The intention was to create generational wealth.
01:16 We looked at the market size and realized that there's a lot of school children who go to school.
01:22 Every child must use a pencil.
01:24 Mongo Pencils!
01:27 My co-founder came up with the idea of making pencils from recycled newspapers.
01:31 We did a bit of research and realized, yes, it's possible to make pencils from newspapers.
01:36 That's how the idea was born.
01:38 It took us about two years for us to actually come up with the proper pencil.
01:45 To get a pencil, we have to go about nine processes.
01:48 We use normal newspapers, ordinary newspapers.
01:51 Once the newspapers are brought in, we weigh them.
01:54 Before we pay whoever has brought them.
01:58 The next process is cutting.
02:00 Then we go to pasting.
02:03 That's where you put the graphite and the glue.
02:06 The third stage is rolling.
02:10 After rolling, we go to drying, to polishing, to edge cutting.
02:15 Then we go to filming.
02:18 Sharpening and punching.
02:20 The market entry, just like any new brand, had its challenges.
02:25 The challenge was, in terms of competition, we are competing with imported products from India and China, which are cheaper.
02:34 The difference between us and them is theirs is made of wood, ours is made of recycled newspaper.
02:40 The traders, who are basically our biggest customers, cannot differentiate between wood and eco-friendly.
02:47 For them, they're looking at the profit margin.
02:49 So when we approach them, try and sell our product, they say, "Look, my customers don't care whether this is made in Kenya, made from newspaper.
02:57 They're looking at the price."
02:59 Ours is slightly more expensive than the ordinary pencil.
03:03 That was a challenge.
03:04 So our focus has been to create awareness about the element of recycling, the innovation, the impact that we have in terms of the environment and also the society, and sell the differentiation.
03:16 Momo Pencil embraces three R's.
03:20 Recycling.
03:21 In recycling, we recycle the newspapers that are brought in.
03:25 The second R is reducing.
03:27 We are reducing waste in the environment.
03:32 The third R is reusing.
03:34 We are turning that newspaper into a pencil that is usable to the public.
03:40 We target schools in slum areas where there's a large population of children from poor families.
03:47 We have done a lot of donations to the neighboring community.
03:50 They embrace this because they know it's for a good cause.
03:53 We target semi-arid and arid areas where it's a challenge to get the children to go to school.
04:01 And that's where we go in and empower the school children.
04:04 We have just received visitors from Momo Pencil.
04:10 And we are very grateful because they brought enough pencils to our learners.
04:14 They are going to use pencils that are eco-friendly.
04:17 They are very excited.
04:19 A pencil may look like something very cheap.
04:21 But to a family that is struggling to put food on the table, the parents have to decide, "Do we eat or do we buy a pencil?"
04:29 So when we step in and fill that gap, we feel that we are contributing for the good of society.
04:37 As a factory, we have 25 full-time employees.
04:41 We employ people who live around the factory, creating employment for them so that they can also sustain their families and their children.
04:47 So in terms of the circular economy, we are meeting those points that are required.
04:52 I'm happy to be part of this company.
04:57 I operate the machine, I do packaging.
05:00 I feel so good when we make these pencils.
05:03 In total, we make 40,000 pencils a day.
05:08 So you can imagine where we came from, 100 pencils.
05:11 Through trial and error, learning, studying, researching and all that, we got to where we are right now.
05:17 Our designs are colorful.
05:19 Our designs are different from what is in the market.
05:22 They're bright, they're exciting, and it fuels the creativity and the imagination and makes that student who is using that pencil feel unique.
05:32 We created an online shop, which made it easier.
05:36 Through the pencil, we can create environmental awareness for children.
05:41 If we can play a role by creating an option, an alternative that is eco-friendly, that does not harm the environment, then we feel that we are doing good for this planet by being environmentally responsible.
05:54 [Music]
06:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]