The power of education
Only 2% of rural areas in Malawi are connected to the national electricity grid. This means that most people rely on firewood for cooking. However, not only does this drive deforestation and contribute to climate change, but it is also detrimental to human health and is associated with serious respiratory diseases.
To address this problem, UP is working in communities to promote the use of ‘chitetezo mbaula’, a locally made ceramic fuel-efficient cookstove that reduces firewood usage by up to 60%.
Meet Foctor
30-year-old Foctor who lives in a small village in Malawi’s Dedza district was chosen to become a ‘stove promoter’ in his local area. After being trained in 2019, he received 210 stoves – 171 were to be distributed for free to ‘ultra-poor’ households and the rest were to be sold. After successfully distributing the free stoves, Foctor embarked on marketing and selling the remaining stoves, but despite his best efforts, uptake was slow.
“For almost a year I didn’t make many sales, but soon after the civic education initiative started I sold all the stoves I had in stock,” Foctor says. “I also saw that some of the households [who’d received the stove for free] who initially were not using their stove had started to use it daily, and I’m proud of myself.”
Education to action
Civic education is an UP initiative in several primary schools in Dedza, with the aim to raise awareness among pupils about the negative impacts of deforestation, the benefits of energy-efficient cookstoves, and good nutrition practices.
One of the primary schools in Foctor’s local area benefited from this initiative. Lessons were held with 89 Standard 7 pupils in March 2020. They all enjoyed, and promised to tell their parents about the advantages of improved cookstoves, and to raise awareness in their communities about the importance of looking after the forest. They were also given Foctor’s contact details, as the local stove promoter for their area.
Just five days after the civic education, Foctor noticed an increased demand for stoves. He sold 29 stoves in two days and requested an additional 10 stoves which he sold the day after. He said that more people wanted to buy one, but he had run out of stock. When he asked his customers where they had heard about the stoves, most replied that they’d learned about their benefits through their children.
Context:
To date, under the ACCESS programme, funded by the Embassy of Ireland, United Purpose has trained 961 pupils from eight primary schools in Dedza, using our Forest Champions training guide. The training sessions cover: the negative impacts of traditional cooking methods on the environment and on the health of those using it, mainly women and girls, as well as the benefits of using energy-efficient cookstoves.