In Uganda, much of the
cooking is done by burning wood or charcoal in traditional stoves or
fireplaces, exposing women and children to harmful gases and smoke. In
collaboration with UC Berkeley's Center for Entrepreneurship in
International Health and Development (CEIHD), Venture Strategies is working with the Urban Community Development Association (UCODEA) in Kampala and Pioneer Carbon of Nairobi, Kenya to
facilitate the development of a sustainable stove enterprise that can
meet the immediate need for an efficient, low-emissions household wood
stove in Uganda.
This project focuses on adapting and commercializing the rocket stove,
which best meets UCODEA’s design criteria for a stove that is
efficient, affordable to local families, reliable with low maintenance
requirements, reproducible, safe, portable and able to cook local
foods. These high-quality wood and
charcoal stoves for homes, businesses, and schools save fuel and
lessen the cooking smoke in the kitchen, helping families reduce their monthly fuel costs and create
healthier environments for their children. We
are currently beta-testing a version of the rocket stove and building
the necessary infrastructure to produce and distribute it profitably.
We are also working with local communities to understand cooking
perceptions and needs and to build awareness about the benefits of
improved stoves. The program will monitor the performance of the rocket
stove and evaluate how well an efficient chimney-less stove can improve
air quality and living conditions for Ugandans.
