In 2013, the ECN worked with the village of Keur Assane Ndiaye, in the region of Thiès, in western Senegal, on the implementation and use of solar cookers provided by Tostan partner, Sol Suffit. Sol Suffit is a climate project with the aim to introduce solar cooking to developing countries.
Sol Suffit initially performed a demonstration of solar cooking for the community of Keur Assane Ndiaye and following that, Sol Suffit and Tostan organized a six-day training workshop on the installation and use of this type of cooker. Tostan then subsidized 80 percent of the price for 50 cookers, which made them affordable for many families within the community. As the demand outweighed the number of cookers available, a raffle was held and 50 people had their names drawn to receive one of these solar cookers in their homes.
Women in the community who use the environmentally-friendly appliance say it has many benefits. When it is sunny, they cook their meals easily without getting dirty or inhaling smoke. In addition, they spend less money on firewood and fewer trees are cut down, therefore helping with the effects of desertification.
In 2013, the ECN team also worked with the community of Keur Thième Sawaré – another community in the Thiès region – and helped them to establish a partnership with AFIMEX (Afrique Import-Export) for improved stoves constructed out of clay and plant debris.
AFIMEX first built a sample stove in the house of the village chief whose wife is the Coordinator of the local Community Management Committee (CMC). When community members saw the benefits of the improved stove, 15 other families ordered the same type of stove.
These improved stoves use four times less wood, which significantly reduces the risk of deforestation and women and children who were responsible for the collection of firewood can now focus on other activities. Cooking time has also been halved. Subsequently, community members were trained in the construction of the improved stoves in order to reproduce them in Keur Thieme Sawaré and neighboring villages.
