Energy Saving Stoves in Ziway
Lake Ziway and its watershed have rich natural and historical resources – wildlife, scattered islands, and people with a distinct history and culture. But due to chronic poverty, people are forced to cut trees as a source of income and to burn as fuel at home. The organization Sustainable Environment and Development Action (SEDA) has designed a project to help restore the natural environment by introducing Energy Saving Stoves for local households. In addition to stemming deforestation and conserving the habitat, cook stoves save women and children significant amounts of time usually needed to collect firewood. Just as important, the well vented energy saving stoves dramatically reduce respiratory illness. Tourists can see the stoves in use at individual households as well as at the community-run restaurant on Tulu Gudo Island.
Tourists wishing to visit Tulu Gudo and provide an energy saving stove to a Ziway family can book through one of the participating tour operators.
About SEDA
SEDA has been working on the promotion of environmentally friendly technologies complimented by various environmental rehabilitation, livelihood development, and community based eco-tourism projects in a number of districts in the Central Rift Valley since 1994. The organization has focused on promoting energy saving stoves as a key environmental development strategy. So far, more than 2,000 women have been trained and given fuel efficient stoves through SEDA. Read below for a testimonial from a Ziway woman who received an energy saving stove from SEDA.
A story narrated by energy stove user women in Ethiopian Rift Valley
"My Energy saving stoves saved my money, time and health"
My Name is Ansha Fayiso. I live in Kemo Garbi village of Adami Tullu District with my family of eleven. I cook three times every day to feed my family. I used to use an open fire stove that consumed a lot of wood. So much that I used to spend up to 70 birr every week to buy firewood or else spent two hours every day to collecting it. When I got tired and occupied by other chores I sometimes had to send my children out to collect firewood. But now, even that is impossible since all the trees near our home have been used up.Since I got the energy saving stove from SEDA two years ago I've been able to save that expense I could hardly afford. My new energy saving stove cuts my firewood consumption by half. I am also protected from the flames while cooking now. Not only that, the time I need to cook injera and wat has been cut in half. My home is not clogged with smoke. And all my children are at school, uninterrupted with the task of collecting firewood. The reduced demand for wood is helping reduce deforestation and trees around my home are growing well. Because of the stove's efficiency I can use smaller amounts of wood, even making due with branches, leaves and crop residue, leaving trees to grow again.
