Sinsibere project

Energy efficient stoves

The improved stove (known as foyer amélioré) reduces cooking time and concentrates heat, and is therefore more efficient than cooking on an open fire. The amount of firewood that is needed for cooking can decrease with about 50%. The women in the project villages, who are cutting the wood, have a great interest in using an improved stove. Apart from the environmental advantages of the reduction in wood cutting it can save them about 1 to 1.5 hours a day. A big advantage of the improved stove is that it is cheap and relatively easy to construct. The needed materials, namely stones, water, and mud, are easy to find in the villages.

All project villages already had previous experience with the use of improved stoves, but for various reasons they were not being used anymore in several villages. In June 2005 a training has been given in the villages Banco Coura and Siene, where the improved stove was not being used at all. During the training the participating women constructed their own stove, which they are using at present. More trainings in other villages will be organised.