It is a hot afternoon, and I pay a courtesy call to one of our farmers; " hoodii (Any one home)…. nobody seems to respond until I get to the backyard where I hear a familiar voice as I get closer.
I am welcomed into the kitchen where Betty Mombwe and her husband are chatting with comfort. This is so unusual for Uganda ! She is excited to have a visitor from UDS. After a chat, she lifts the lid of the saucepan to check on what she is cooking. A thick cloud of steam covers the kitchen for seconds, then she quickly realizes how surprised I am to find such a smoke free environment (yet she is cooking using firewood) as she explains how fantastic her smokeless stove is.
"It has been a real change having this smokeless oven , as it is no longer just me and the children that are in the kitchen. When I am busy, my husband comes into the kitchen to chat about family and social issues. When I go outside to wash the dishes, my husband will now look after the fire. Not so in the past, as Ugandan men fear being choked by smoke"; explains Betty.
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| Betty using her smokeless oven |
"I also spend less time collecting firewood as I only use two pieces of firewood to prepare a meal. Because the oven is designed with two burners - I can boil drinking water at the same time as I cook our meal, using the same amount of wood. In the past I would collect wood 4 times a week, but since I've had the oven I only have to do it once a week. I don't have to worry about warming food for any family member who missed the main meal either as food keeps warm for four hours. Oh smokeless ovens - what a wonder and great relief you are to the women of Africa who have to rely on firewood to cook !
It only costs £30 to train somebody to build a smokeless oven - the materials are nature's gift! Donate now to our smokeless oven project or read more about them at www.ugandadev.org.uk
