By Markus Faigle | Volunteer Project Director
There are big changes coming that hopefully will impact the adoption of improved cookstoves.
Our new on-site coordinator Haja (since late 2021) collected baseline data of the adoption rate of improved cookstoves:
Analakely: 58%
Tsaramandroso: 88,7%
Fiadanana: 30%
Fiarenana: 33%
While the communities that joined Zahana recently are very eager in implementing improved cookstoves (and other Zahana ideas, such as the rice-bank) in their homes our ‘traditional’ Zahana villages leave much to be desired.
Why somebody would not want to switch to an improved cookstove that saves 75% of the energy needed to cook is not exactly clear to us. There are now also locally made improved cookstoves one could buy. We had a series of meetings to address this and, as a consequence of the facts learned from the data, two big changes have been decided:
Our teachers and gardeners that get a salary from Zahana have to be good community role models and use improved cookstoves in their homes. They are also encouraged, time permitting, to make their own bio-charcoal for cooking or buy is as cooking fuel in their community. There contracts have been amended accordingly to reflect this change.
Parents that want to send their children to Zahana’s school have to commit in writing to use improved cookstoves in their homes. This is a pre-condition to be admitted and we rely on peer support to assure this decision is implemented.
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