Impact – PESITHO

Phone Repair & Radio Station – Why the ECOCA is more than a stove

Sarah Feldes — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 12:50:31 +0000

In May we met one of our very first beneficiaries, Bajura, a man living in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, Yumbe, Uganda.

Since receiving his ECOCA back in 2020, he has established a phone repair & radio business, based on the solar panel and the cabinet.

At our visit he shows us around his station and explains how it evolved.

Bajura’s phone repair & radio station consists of a hut on a square in between a number of private properties and family homes in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement.

His shop does not only contain the ECOCA, but the solar panel that comes with the stove is his main energy source, charging the stove itself with energy from the sun. Because of the USB-ports on the cabinet he can further charge other electronic devices, such as smartphones and small radios.

Over time he also acquired a big speaker and an equalizer, loud enough to cover the surrounding area with music and news from the radio.

Bajura’s story inspires us. He is a brilliant example of how one product is not the solution to only one problem.

The ECOCA can be used in many different ways, and can help people in more ways than just preparing food.

The solar panel, access to electricity and therefore being able to charge phones and other electronic devices means much more, and has an immense impact on beneficiaries.

Not only is Bajura able to provide the neighboring households with news from the radio and music. He has established an entire business around phone repair and charging, resulting in tangible income that can help him sustain himself and his family.

“I used to spend 10-15k on firewood a week” – ECOCA saves time & money for Mariam and her family

Sarah Feldes — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 11:17:55 +0000

Mariam Kinde, mother of four, lives at BidiBidi Refugee Settlement, Yumbe, Uganda

Mariam received her ECOCA cookstove in April 2021, and has been able to save significant amounts of money and time since, which she saves to cover future expenses for the family

saving money

The amount of money that Mariam is saving each week from switching to the ECOCA for cooking is significant. She quickly does an estimate calculation for us showing the incredible differences in spending.

Mariam recalls that she used to spend around 10.000 UGX to 15.000 UGX on firewood a week, a cost that has been completely eliminated. Furthermore, she additionally had to give around 10.000 UGX a week for charcoal. She is still sometimes buying charcoal to make fires in the central fireplace of the property for a total of around 5.000 UGX per week.

Apart from these direct expenses for fuel she also had to spend money for charging her phone each time the battery ran low, as charging phones is a business in the refugee settlement that people charge varying amounts for per full charge. Since the ECOCA comes with two USB outlets, Mariam can charge all the familys’ electrical devices directly from the stove.

All in all the expenses saved round up to a maximum of 30.000 UGX which Mariam plans on using for her children in the future to cover school fees or other expenses for her children.

2. saving time

The second largest difference that Mariam notices is the amount of time she saves during a day.

Perviously she had to spend several hours a day to walk and fetch firewood. The area around her home is very scarce on trees because of the high number of people living close together in the surrounding space. Therefore, walks up to 3 hours daily to reach a point where firewood could be collected was normal.

Apart from that, Mariam also notices that the preparation of food using the ECOCA is much faster than cooking over open fire. A whole pot of beans takes no more than 2 hours to be fully cooked which is very fast in her opinion.

The time saved during the day makes it possible for Mariam to attend community meetings with other women and families from the area. They can come together and exchange experiences as well as discuss matters and concerns. Furthermore, she now has more time to spend with her children and friends.

3. improved health

A pressing issue when cooking with charcoal or firewood is the smoke that is released. It can be very dangerous, causing diseases like lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses if a person is exposed to the pollutants for an extended period of time. Mariam notices improved health through switching to the ECOCA because her eyes do not hurt anymore. She describes having allergies and previously her eyes used to water and hurt from the smoke when cooking food for her family.

Apart from that, the entire family notices the improved quality and taste of the food that is prepared using the ECOCA. Her children do not complain about the smoky taste of their morning tea or meals anymore, which previously had been a concern to Mariam.

Handwoven mats – How the ECOCA gave rise to Rose’s business

Sarah Feldes — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 09:50:21 +0000

Rose, mother of two, lives on a small coffee plant in Rakai, Uganda.

Aside from her main income through growing coffee and selling it through a local coffee cooperative, she now uses her free time to produce hand-woven mats from rattan, which she sells at a local market to earn money on the side, thanks to the ECOCA

We meet Rose for an interview on her property in the middle of the forest area south of Rakai town, Uganda, close to the border to Tanzania. Here she lives in a house together with her two children, both under the age of four.

The property is located amidst the coffee trees, and it is only possible for us to get there by walking, as the main road that our car is able to drive on ends a few hundred meters away from the place.

She welcomes us to her home and shows us around the property, including the main building, where the family sleeps and cooks, and a smaller garage and storage building

Throughout our conversation Rose describes how she used to cook over open fire everyday, mostly using firewood that she collected around the property. Fetching the wood was a quite time consuming task, considering the amount needed to make fire several hours a day.

Apart from that she had to buy petrol that she used to light lamps around her home at night, proposing an additional expenditure, because she had to buy it at a relatively high price.

She explains that the time and money this way of living cost her was not the major issue to her, compared to how much she used to worry about her children’s safety. She describes being worried about their health and well-being everyday because they play in the yard and around the house where they easily can come very close to the open fire and petrol lamps. Adding to that is the amount of smoke that was released when cooking over the open fire on a daily basis. Rose used to fear that her children may get sick from inhaling the smoke and eating the smoky-tasting food.

Since receiving the ECOCA she has used it everyday and her life has changed to the positive in several ways.

She does not have to spend any money or time on getting fuel to make fire everyday, as the solar-powered cookstove produces all the energy needed to cook for her family.
She does not have to worry for her children’s safety because there is no more open fire or dangerous petrol lamps around, as the ECOCA comes with two lamps that propose no harm to the small children.
She experiences the meals cooked using the ECOCA to taste much better, and most important of all, there is no smoke taste at all, which she also interprets to be way healthier.
The time saved from not having to fetch firewood and keeping an eye on the open fire at all times, enables her to use her free time to make hand woven mats, which she sells on the local markets. Apart from being a creative task she enjoys, this also has developed into a business opportunity and a source of additional income for the family, enabling Rose to cover costs like school fees for her children in the future.