By Markus Faigle | Volunteer Project Director
One of our younger team members is quitecomputer savyy. We had asked him to focus on his next site visit on any impact of the improved cookstoves he might notice. His report features a cell photo with the tagline: “Mr Daha and his wife make cookstoves for sale”. Their skill as cookstove makers is well known in their own and surrounding villages. The team agrees that they have invented one of the most innovative and spiffy looking improved cookstoves. It is also considered one the best.
Their improved cookstoves are only made to order, or on demand on a one-to-one basis. Depending on the client’s needs they can offer three models: small, medium and large. The large version features a two-burner or twin cookstive model in the photo. Translating the prices for improved cookstoves into a dollar amount creates a challenge without cultural context. As a bench mark: the smallest improved cookstoves cost about a one day’s wage of a day laborer.
Besides being really good at it, selling improved cookstoves gives them access to much needed cash in the ‘époque dure’ the ‘hards times’. ‘Époque dure’ is the time before planting the new rice crop again when all the cash from last year’s harvest is long spent and consequently many rice farmers go hungry.
Our cookstove workshops had a great side effect, or talk about great unexpected consequences. They were very proud to report that they bought a piglet by their own money form the improved cookstoves, without having to rely on Zahana’s microcredit to pay for it. (See the other reports about our microcredit project to raise pigs)
PS: Our YouTube movie Combining reforestation with locally made improved cook stoves in Madagascar got a very fortunated boost in viewership in the last month! Check it out and please leave a comment if you feel so compelled. It helps us with our Youtube ranking. Thank you.
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