We just completed a very productive meeting in Mto wa Mbu, where we met with 100 men and women, the leaders in three of our project villages in Tanzania, Salela,Losirwa, and Esilalei.
With Maasai music as our background, new and old friends gathered together. Mr Jowika Kasunga, District Commissioner for Monduli, gave a keynote address. Read a summary below.  | | Bob Lange and Kisioki Moitiko of Maasai Stoves & Solar |
Project Manager Kisioki began the presentations followed by contributions by a dozen participants about the difference the stoves have made in their lives. Afterwards we all enjoyed a banana and bean stew with roast goat. I can see a healthy consciousness growing among the people of the need to make homes more healthy and comfortable because of the concern for the children.
Thank you for making this event possible. Gatherings like this help bring our work to new villages. .
Twende!
Robert V. Lange, President
Maasai Stoves & Solar project of the ICSEE
|
By how much does our stove reduce emissions?
When we look at mitigation of climate change and other overall effects of the use of the Maasai Stoves & Solar Stoves, is there a way to relate this to our individual day-to-day lives in America?
 | | Emissions from driving a car |
Try this calculation
About 0.009 metric tons of carbon dioxide are emitted per gallon of gasoline that you burn in your car.
A metric ton is 1000 kilograms or 2200 pounds.
Recent testing determined that the use of one ICSEE stove reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 3.6 metric tons per year, simply because the woman of the house burns so much less old and dry and "non-renewable" wood each day.
3.6 divided by .009 is 400 which means using our stove is like using 400 gallons less gas per year in your car.
400 gallons of gas at 25 miles per gallon is 10,000 miles, or approximately one year of driving.
Do you find these numbers interesting? Please send me suggestions about how to use them to promote our project.
|
Keeping our work relevant
To be sure we are meeting the needs of the people, we continue to focus on listening, especially as we share information about the Project and its potential.
It was particularly good to have Monduli District Commissioner Mr. Jowika Kasunga at the gathering to give his keynote address. He is a great friend and supporter of the Project and knows first-hand what we are doing for the people of his district.  | | Uhuru Torch Award for Maasai Stoves & Solar |
With humor and passion, he addressed the crowd. He especially urged the men to take advantage of our Project to help their families lead healthier and happier lives.
His support resulted in Maasai Stoves & Solar Project receiving the Uhuru Torch award earlier this year.
|
|
Meet Ndengere Landare Tapeet
Customer, Maasai Stoves & Solar
 | | Ndengere Landare Tapeet and family |
Meet Ndengere and his family. He is in the center of the picture, in red. You can see the chimney and solar panel on the roof of one of his wives' homes. Here is an excerpt from his story, translated from the Maasai language:
One day I went to Laiboni's Boma and saw the ICSEE stove in one of the Laiboni 's wive's houses. While we were having tea with my friend in that house, we didn't get bothered with the smoke. I asked him where he got such a stove and he told me that he got It from the Maasai Stoves & Solar Project.
In October 2011 the Project came to my Village. Because I had seen for myself how good the ICSEE stoves are, I sold one cow for 550,000 Tshs and I spent most of those money to purchase a stove and solar system for each of my three wives.
Now my family is enjoying the stoves and the solar. They don't have terrible smoke inside the homes. My wives tell me that they are going to gather wood only a few times a week, not like when they had the old three-stones fire.
I don't spend any money buying kerosene for my family as I did before, because of the solar light.
I really like this Project and I proud to be among of the first people to have these stoves in Losirwa. I have had the stoves since March of 2012.
Ndengere, thank you for your confidence and for helping us to spread the word into new areas with your participation.
|
|
|
|
Did you know? | |
The Maasai dress in bright colors, with large rectangular cloths tied at the corners and draped over their bodies.
The Maasai do not manufacture cloth, and they import most of their textiles from China and India.
Most Maasai, women and men, like to wear beaded bracelets, anklets, necklaces and earrings, with the women putting on lots of jewelry when they want to dress up and when they are not doing hard manual labor.
However, even when laying bricks and cutting holes through the roofs to install a stove as members of the stove installation teams, they will be wearing at least some pretty jewelry.
These days, their beads are mostly small glass ones that they buy in their weekly markets. Maasai men buy the beads in the cities and supply them to the village markets as a business.
Formerly, the beads were made of wood, shells, stone, and bone but now the women enjoy the bright colors and convenience of working with the commercially available glass beads.
They buy thin strong metal wire for beading, greatly increasing the variety of items they can produce,
Because of this, there are more Maasai artifacts available for tourists, including beautiful and durable bead bowls.
|
| A video about our work | |
View a video from our early days and see Maasai Stoves & Solar and our community in action, filmed by Brian Petchers.
|
| About us |
Welcome to the Maasai Stoves & Solar Project of the ICSEE (International Collaborative for Science, Education, and the Environment). We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in America and Tanzania. Like us, are you dedicated to improved quality of life, health, and well-being for the developing world, and to a healthier environment for all? For more information contact: Bob Lange(ICSEE) Maasai Stoves & Solar 81 Kirkland Street Cambridge, MA 02138 +1 508.735.9176 |
|
