Stoves Save Energy & Improve Health
Preparing a meal is not a big ordeal for most of us. A quick trip to the grocery store to pick a few items and we're back to our kitchens. At home we have enough pans, utensils, and seasonings to assist us in cooking a feast. With our ingredients ready we turn on the stove or preheat the oven. Depending on the dish, an hour or so later and we're sitting around the dinner table. We often forget that in many places around the world, it's just not that simple.
In the dry, arid climate of central Ethiopia the dust blankets the people like second skin. It is here that women, like 20 year-old Rehema Berasa, have the arduous and dangerous task of feeding her four children. For Rehema and others, preparing a simple meal takes a great amount of effort.
First, consideration is given to the fire. Gathering fuel to burn is an exercise in patience. Typically, young boys make the half-day journey to collect firewood from areas that used to be dressed with lush, green forests. Now only desert remains as a result of the severe deforestation. Here the boys gather branches that may have fallen or cut pieces from dead and dying trees. Not only is this wood used for cooking but also for building fences and home construction.
Water is also a much-needed resource. No kitchen faucets here, the water typically comes from pumps connected to rivers. The same water used for bathing and quenching the thirst of livestock is also used for general household duties. Just getting to the water can be a few hours walk or donkey cart ride. ADRA is helping to provide solutions to water problems with catchment systems and well drilling projects.
The cooking process itself presents a challenge. Food is cooked over an open flame making areas unsafe for little ones. "My children would often get burns from playing near the fires," Rehema said. Smoke from these cooking fires, which is often inhaled, can create respiratory problems. These factors coupled with the length of cooking time add to the challenges.
ADRA is using a simple innovation to change lives of many families living in the rural areas of central Ethiopia. For $15, cooking for the family has been revolutionized. An energy saving stove, taking up a little more space than a large salad bowl, is making life much easier by positively impacting environment, family safety, and decreasing meal preparation time.
Constructed of cement and cast iron, the stove has a small opening underneath to place the cooking fire. This small opening traps the heat inside the stove reducing fuel usage by as much as 50 percent. This has a profound impact on an area already ravaged by severe deforestation. Less fuel use means that more trees stay in their natural habitat. Less fuel also means sending boys on fewer trips to collect wood, giving them more time to learn and play.
Containing the fire underneath the stove makes the area much safer for children. No longer is there a danger of an open flame and fewer injuries occur as a result. Cook time is also much faster, shortening the preparation time and freeing mothers to spend time on other tasks. ADRA is also working on training programs to teach young people how to construct and install these stoves. This training would help to lower the overall cost of the stove and empower them to start their own business, giving them a much-needed source of income.
After having the stove for just one week, Rehema Berasa was bursting with excitement over the drastic difference this small piece of "technology" has made in her life. "ADRA should get an award for this," Rehema said, slightly embarrassed at her exuberance, pointing at her new stove. ADRA's reward is that mothers like Rehema are better able to care for their families and themselves. ADRA continues to work to bring smiles to the faces of mothers and children in Ethiopia and around the world.
