Blog – PESITHO

FUNDRAISING: PESITHO & THE GORILLA HABITAT

Sarah Feldes — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 10:23:28 +0000

Fighting Deforestation, Climate Change and Health Issues with the ECOCA

PESITHO with Gorilla Habitat and Caritas Denmark launch their GoFundMe Campaign to supply local families in the area surrounding the Virunga Mountains in Uganda with solar-powered cookstoves.

Watch the video to get all information on how the partnership works:

The collaborative strategy is to supply local families in communities surrounding the Gorilla Habitat with ECOCA cookstoves as an alternative to burning firewood and charcoal for daily cooking needs. This counteracts deforestation and protects the Mountain Gorilla’s natural living space and promotes health and living conditions for the inhabitants of communities surrounding the habitat.

We are proud to announce our first Campaign as Partners to tackle issues most effectively and provide as many families as possible with our solar powered ECOCA cookstoves.

Back in late 2020 a partnership between the NGO Gorilla Habitat and PESITHO in collaboration with Caritas has been established in order to join forces and battle deforestation of rainforest areas around the Virunga Mountain National Park in Uganda and simultaneously support health and living conditions of families in local communities by enabling access to clean cooking appliances.

If you want to support PESITHO & GORILLA HABITAT in providing families with clean cooking appliances to improve living conditions and health, counteract deforestation and save an endangered species, then please use the following link in order to make a donation:

DONATE

Thank you for your help and support!

Camp + in Uganda

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 08:17:34 +0000

CARE Denmark is developing the world’s first sustainable refugee camp called Camp +

In collaboration with many other innovative organizations, Pesitho are providing our expertise in clean cooking and sustainable energy solutions. We are working together in developing resolutions to address the many everyday issues associated with cooking.

Camp + has a mission to improve the livelihood of its residents at the camp while also reducing the camps environmental impact in the local area, creating a positive climate footprint.

The new ECOCA pot

admin — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 05:46:29 +0000

Since installing our first 100 pilot ECOCA solar-powered electric stoves across villages in Myanmar and Uganda, the feedback collected has helped us to develop a new pot to better meed to needs of our ECOCA users.

Initially, we offered two size pots, small and large. From the feedback, we learnt that the small size pot could not adequately provide enough food to feed a large family and would therefore very rarely be used. Instead, we now offer one large-sized pot that can be used for larger meals.

We have also updated the heat elements inside of the pot that allow for variable temperature control, better thermal insulation as well as being more resilient. The pot is made from 304 stainless steel, the highest grade available for food processing equipment.

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Individual training on the ECOCA

admin — Tue, 19 May 2020 15:54:40 +0000

Working with our local partners from Karuna Mission Social Solidarity and Caritas Uganda, we at Pesitho have been able to ensure that each individual family receiving the ECOCA, will receive full training on their new cookstove. This not only to gives a greater sense of confidence when using the ECOCA for their everyday needs like cooking, charging and using the lamps, but also allows for better a sense of ownership.

We understand that changing ones cooking methods as well as adapting to new technology can feel overwhelming, deterring people from integrating the ECOCA into their daily routine. In this way, individual training can ensure that the end users feel comfortable adopting the cook stove, learning how to use the solar panel, the different modes of cooking, charging small electronic items and making best use of the two ECOCA lamps.

We want our ECOCA households to enjoy the process of cooking without being exposed to the harmful pollutants that derive from cooking with solid biomass and plastic. In this way, families will also spend less time on fuel collection benefiting both family members daily life and environmental impacts.

Pesitho Office Tour

admin — Fri, 15 May 2020 12:38:47 +0000

Back in the beginning, our office was located at the Innovatorium in Herning just outside the university.

Watch our CEO Thorben giving a tour of the space where the story of Pesitho began.

Video edited by Amalie Vilstrup

Pesitho collaborates with Care Denmark on Camp +

admin — Mon, 11 May 2020 14:01:46 +0000

It is April 2019 and we are excited to announce our collaboration with Care Danmark as well as many other innovative organisations in developing the world’s first climate-friendly refugee camp, Camp +. We are still at the very early stages of this initiative and we hope to update you very soon.

The camp is addressing the increase in numbers of refugees around the world, particularly those directly impacted from climate change related disasters . Developing a camp together with pioneers who have created ‘radical green and sustainable solutions in food, architecture, energy and technology’ can provide better livelihoods for refugees and at the same time, address impacts of climate change.

CAMP + is a refugee camp that offers its residents a better everyday life, creating jobs, providing clean drinking water and uses camp waste to create green, sustainable energy for light and cooking.

Photo: Care Denmark
Photo: Care Denmark
Photo: Care Denmark
Photo: Care Denmark

In the mean time, you can learn more about Camp + here

Pesitho installs 50 ECOCAs in Myanmar

admin — Fri, 08 May 2020 14:58:16 +0000

One week after installing our first 50 ECOCAs in Uganda, Pesitho has been working with Caritas Denmark and Caritas Myanmar (Karuna Mission Social Solidarity) to install the next 50 cookstoves to families in Myanmar. Families from Kaupaunpin and Kapen villages will receive person training on all the cooking and additional, ensuring that they feel confident to use their new cookstove every day.

We have included additional features in the cookstove, including a USB port that allows mobile phone and small appliance charging. The ECOCA also comes with two lamps, one that can be used for bringing light into the home – great for late night homework sessions and the other for more mobile use like walking to latrines at night. These families will now have access to a clean and sustainable source of electricity that provides 2 cooked meals a day for their families (most families tend to cook twice a day, cooking larger quantities at lunch to consume later for supper).

We thank everyone for supporting our work so far!

Pesitho installs the first 50 ECOCAs in Uganda

admin — Thu, 07 May 2020 15:03:30 +0000

This week we are celebrating the first ever installations of our ECOCA solar powered cookstove at the Bidibidi refugee Settlement in Uganda. It has been months of planning and hard work but we are so happy that the day has finally arrived. Simon, our COO has been working with Caritas Denmark and Caritas Uganda to identify 50 households who will be receiving the ECOCA. Each family will receive person training on all the cooking and additional, ensuring that the families feel confident to use their new cookstove every day.

Pesitho at World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator 2019

admin — Wed, 06 May 2020 15:48:02 +0000

On the 15^th of February 2019 Pesitho took part in the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator in Munich, Germany. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to broadcast some of our goals with the ECOCA, addressing issues like the impacts of cooking with solid biomass fuel of health and the environment.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator provides support to start ups like ourselves who create solutions worldwide hunger. We were able to work for WFP staff who offer hands on support and WFP operations.

To end the week, our CEO Thorben presented live on WFPs Facebook page our work with the ECOCA. Our goal is to install 50,000 ECOCAs to support the families who rely heavily on firewood and charcoal for cooking, improving their livelihoods all around.

“At Pesitho, we have spent the last year prototyping and testing Solution-A with refugees. We know the importance of testing in the right environment with the right end users. I am happy to let you know that tomorrow morning, the first 50 ECOCAs will be arriving at the Bidibidi Settlement in Uganda where we will be installing these. We will then go onto Myanmar to install the next 50 units”- Thorben Nielsen.

Following installation, Pesitho, Caritas Denmark and students from Aarhus University will spend 3 months retrieving feedback on from the beneficiary families in order to develop the next solution.

You can watch the entire broadcast here. Fast forward to minute 00:26:00 to see our CEO, Thorben in action.

Pesitho begins collaboration with Caritas Denmark

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 11:35:15 +0000

The new collaboration between the engineering company Pesitho and Caritas was presented in conjunction with Caritas Denmark’s Annual Meeting on September 29 at Magleås Course Center.

“I’ve always had a dream of becoming an entrepreneur. And then I just suddenly thought, we have the idea to make a difference” says Thorben G. Nielsen, CEO and founder of Pesitho. He resigned from Siemens to devote himself to the development of solar-powered micro-kitchens.

“The collaboration with Caritas Denmark gives us a unique opportunity to test our solar cell-based micro-kitchens, so that refugees and the poor in the global South can access a sustainable energy supply, which they can simultaneously pay for,” emphasizes Thorben G. Nielsen, who have just been to Myanmar with Caritas. Pesitho works closely with students and researchers from Aarhus University.

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