Toshiba Tec Europe
The Toshiba CarbonZero Scheme has been supporting the Kenyan Cook Stove Project since it first began. The efficient nature of the stove halves the amount of firewood need, saving time and money on collecting firewood. In some areas people have to purchase permits to access local forests.The time saved means that that can focus on other income generating activitiest.
In Kenya, around 40% of the population live below this line, predominantly in rural areas. The energy-efficient stove project in Kenya contributes to lifting people above this line by reducing the time spent gathering firewood,enabling more time to be spent on generating income. The literacy rate in Kenya is 78%, with over a 5th of the population unable to read or write due to a lack of access to education. By ensuring that families have more income to invest in their children’s education, this project contributes to raising levels of literacy and education in general in the country. The latest Toshiba CarbonZero Impact Report showed that the Scheme’s support of the Kenyan cook stove project has resulted in the equivalent of 85,290 days working time saved due to the reduce time spent collecting firewood.
In rural Kenya, as in much of Africa, firewood remains the main source of fuel for cooking. Within the Aberdares range in Kenya where Rachel Githendu lives, demand for firewood is causing major challenges for households, which typically require 2-3 tonnes of firewood per year when using traditional inefficient 3-stone stoves. Overexploitation of firewood has caused heavy deforestation, meaning that women must travel further and further from their homes to collect firewood for cooking.
Rachel says: “In the past, I used a traditional stove which meant all my time was spent cooking and fetching firewood. Sometimes I didn’t have time to collect firewood due to my household responsibilities so I had to buy from local sellers.” Rachel therefore faced a stark choice between spending all her time collecting firewood and therefore not having time to tend to her crops and livestock, or buying firewood, meaning that she had less money to invest in her agriculture activities and to pay for school fees and uniform for her children.
All that has changed since Rachel received her Carbon Zero stove, with the stove’s efficient technology having reduced her firewood needs by more than half. She now visits the forest to gather firewood only once a week rather than every day, and never has to buy firewood. She spends her extra time tending to her farm, and with the cash she has saved on firewood, she can buy agricultural inputs and pay casual labourers to work on her farm. This has greatly increased her income, because she now has surplus vegetables and milk to sell. She now faces no challenges in paying school fees for her children and is even able to save a small amount of money each month, giving her a pot of money to keep for emergencies and invest in incomegenerating activities in future.
Rachel now says: “I never used to believe that it would be possible for me to pay school fees for my children whilst saving money each month because I was living from hand to mouth. This stove has moved me from grass to grace: I can now afford a decent meal for my family and dress them well, and I do not take this for granted. I now believe that it’s possible to engage in the right activities to create income and reduce poverty, and I am very happy.”
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