The project "Ecological ovens" comes from the need to improve the efficiency of the traditional Eritrean oven- the Mogogo. Talking of facts, the energy performance of the traditional Mogogo is less then 10% and it is estimated that it consumes 50% of the Eritrean wood. As it has no fumes collection system, these ovens can have serious health repercussions, causing respiratory and eyes diseases to people and livestock. The new ovens will provide a sustainable and safe way of cooking.
In Eritrea, 90% of the rural and 20% of the urban population has no electricity, so that it over-relies on biomass energy (wood). The traditional Mogogo ovens are not energy efficient and require a great amount of wood to function properly. Over the decades, such pressure on a single renewable energy source has caused serious environmental damages as fast rate deforestation. Additionally, these ovens also have serious repercussion on people's health, as heart, respiratory and eyes diseases.
The project aims to build ecological and energy efficient ovens for Eritrean families that would contribute to reduce wood consumption by fifty per cent, so that gradually tackling one of the main causes of deforestation. Additionally, the new ovens produce a minimum amount of smoke that, thanks to the different modality of canalizing it- goes outside, thus eliminating the home pollution and improving the standard of living of many families.
On the long-term, the more ovens are built, the wider will be the impact that the project can have in reducing deforestation and consequently, soil erosion. As the country depends on subsistence agriculture, nurturing and preserving the land is critical to support the lives of the Eritrean people. The quality of lives of families are improved greatly, not breathing heavy smoke daily, but also, the children will be safer as they will not be exposed to the use of kerosene.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
