A SOCIAL entrepreneur from Micheldever has developed an idea to provide a lifeline for rural communities in Southeast Asia, whose income has been decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tom Partridge has worked with communities in Laos for five years and says that most are subsistence farmers living hand to mouth – trapped in poverty. He has also seen many young people give up on school because they are needed to help with the harvest.

To help those families, Mr Partridge came up with the idea of training the older and stay-at-home family members to make handcrafted sustainable bamboo bottles – and Jungle Jar was born.

These bottles provide income to the impoverished families whose sole earnings are reliant on the rice harvest, this money is used for food, accommodation, and transport to the high school.

Currently 15 families in village of Houay Fai are involved and have been learning the simple techniques necessary to make the bottles.

The village has donated land for a workshop made from reclaimed single-use plastic bottles, and crowdfunding is underway.

Mr Partridge said: “These bottles will make a huge difference to the people of the village and the environment. I am overwhelmed every day by the positive response from the public. Our small team is chomping at the bit to get going.”

It is hoped that students from across the globe will help with the social enterprise by schools and universities partnering with Jungle Jar and use the business model as a case study. In return, students can raise awareness of the program through social media channels and fundraise through the sale of bottles. A school can then use the profit from sales to fund a trip to Laos to meet the community and explore a unique region.

Mr Partridge added: “Our business model is a great tool for students. Jungle Jar has many aspects; these include social enterprise, rural diversification, environmental studies, online marketing and e-commerce, and product design.

“It’s an exciting future for the Jungle Jar community in Laos. They hope to be working in other villages by 2024.

“The beauty of Jungle Jar is it’s easy to set up. I hope one day to set up for other NGOs working with other marginalized communities. Perhaps in Indonesia, East Timor, West Africa, and Central America, anywhere we can grow bamboo.”

For more information, go to junglejar.org.