Rwandans Balk at Price of Improved Cooking Stoves

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

A campaign to persuade people in Rwanda to buy a new improved type of cooking stove – which uses less fuel and is less smoky – hasn’t succeeded, according to the stoves’ manufacturers. They say the public still doesn’t realize this type of stove could save them money and protect their health, as well as save trees.

There are various types of improved cooking stoves in Rwanda. One of the most affordable is a combined ceramic and metal charcoal stove called a canamake.

Three years ago, the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure approved a new more durable type of canamake, fired in a kiln to prevent breakage. The ministry said it wanted 80 percent of households in the capital Kigali to be using this charcoal stove.

The new type saves about 30 percent on charcoal compared with unimproved stoves, and 11 percent compared to the old canamake, according to the international NGO Practical Action, which helped to design it.

Source: Voice of America (link opens in a new window)

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