Energy-saving stoves benefit Muheza villagers
After staying home for several years doing her little farming as a housewife, fortune came knocking on her way when she was invited by a friend to attend a course on making energy-saving stoves.
The training was organised by Tanzania Traditional Energy Development and Environmental Organisation’s (TaTEDO) In her village of Sakale in Muheza, they usually offered it free of charge but for it to take place, at least 20 people – with a bigger percentage being women – required to enrol.
The training took eight days and according to her, she was taught how to build and market the energy- saving stoves, skills that now earn the 36-year-old and her family their daily bread. Among the products that she has been installing in people’s homes and institutions are the rocket brick stoves.
In recent months, she has been sensitizing people on the importance of the stoves. Khadija is among beneficiaries of 180 improved stoves in 364 households of Sakale Village. Production of the stoves is supervised by Muheza District authorities, under technical guidance of TaTEDO.
The jikos, which are smoke-free and energy conserving, are made from mud, ash and ballast and can save up to 40 per cent of fuel. They are also affordable and do not cause environmental or land degradation and desertification.