By Markus Faigle | Volunteer
When we first introduced them earlier last year (Project report Nov 2024) Metosela was a 34 year-old rice farmer. Married to Florence, 32 year-old, who is also a farmer's daughter. The two have an 8-year-old daughter, Rebecca.
The family lives in Analakely, our fourth and newest village collaborating with Zahana. Matosela had just invented a new hand-powered machine to make bio-charcoal briquettes. His invention is now being used by our students in the schools to learn about bio-charcoal making hands on. Improved charcoal briquets made by Mitosela and his family can be bought from him directly, if people don’t want to make their own.
Each user of an improved cookstove has a wide variety of choices for fuel they burn in their improved cookstoves: Many others use small branches, sticks, dried grass, dried reeds or dried corn cobs and other organic materials, such as rice husks or sawdust instead of firewood to cook. Some villagers have tried using charcoal made from dried grass, the original idea and dream of the cookstove’s inventor. But they have not yet mastered the process of carbonization. Therefore, the use of organic materials that can be picked up all around the villages is still preferred.
Mitoselas creativity also created innovations in their own household by addressing and questioning old habits and traditions. In the photos Mitoselas wife, Florence, is happy to show us their new kitchen. Mitosela’s. Their great innovation is putting the custom made cookstove on a table. It avoids backache from constantly bending down and squatting on the floor to cook meals on an open fire. He also added chimney which helps to evacuate the smoke out of the kitchen. An innovation Zahana had been trying to promote for a long time, but they are leading by example.
Last but not least Mitosela’s improved bio-charcoal bricks made with his machine, are sold at 100 MGA a piece with comes to about 2 US or Euro cents. Users who buy his charcoal say they prefer it for a cleaner space inside the kitchen than firewood takes up plus it save money on costly firewood expenses that are constantly going up.
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