Nalongo Kinene’s Story | Energy & Women’s Economic Empowerment
Shared Action Africa has an Eco fund that supports women both in business and homes to get cooks stoves on credit to support their work.
58-year Nalongo Kinene a food vendor in Nakawa market is grateful for having got the cook stoves in doing her 15-year business.
I purchased a cook stove in 2019 on credit of UGX 900,000 which I was able to pay back. Using this eco stove has reduced my fuel expenses. When I used traditional biomass, I needed 2 bags of charcoal per month each costing UGX 100,000 making a total of UGX 200,000 per month ($54.79). However, with the eco stove I use one sack of charcoal dust per month which I get at UGX 8,000/= ($2.18). With this saving I was able to repay my loan in time.
I also prepare meals within shorter time i.e. from 7 hours to 5 hours now. This saves me time which I put to other use in business. Moreover, timely preparation of meals is important in my business because I am able to provide food for my clients with in a short time. This is because the stove has the ability to emit maximum energy needed to cook fast because it has been designed in such a way that the user can moderate the amount of energy needed to suit their cooking needs.
The eco cook stove too does not emit fumes when lighting it unlike the traditional charcoal stove that needs a lot of papers to light it up. It also has a proper storage compartment for the ash which makes it easy for me to collect the ash at the end of the day when I am done with the cooking and dispose it off well. Ash does not get littered as I do the cooking because the ash compartment is well enclosed. This keeps my cooking place clean and hygienic.
Ecostoves are good for business and homes. I believe that many people especially in urban areas would like to acquire them.