Mile 1: Tanzania
Why not start this marathon off with a bang? In the heart of Africa.
In Mile 1, I walked with Elizabeth, a 45-year old entrepreneur who embodies the spirit of African women: joyful, hardworking, optimistic, motherly. Elizabeth is a stove mason, skilled craftswoman, and entrepreneur. She hand-molds cookstoves out of clay and sells them at the local market. Elizabeth’s stoves are not only an income source for her…but provide a solution to a shocking community health crisis.
Country: Tanzania
Woman: Elizabeth
Charity: The Adventure Project
In Tanzania (and in many other developing countries), women traditionally cook over open fire. They cook all meals over a bonfire and consequently, inhale toxic smoke from the fumes. This in one of the world’s most unknown killers — as four million people die each year from breathing in toxic smoke. Women, on average, inhale the equivalent of smoking TWO packs of cigarettes, EVERY DAY, simply by cooking meals.
From an environmental standpoint, more black carbon emissions are released from open flame cooking than from all the cars and trucks in the world combined. This was shocking to me…but after cooking breakfast the traditional way, I experienced it first hand.
Elizabeth’s stoves are a simple, energy-efficient solution to this problem.
Elizabeth learned how to mold-stoves from training by, The Adventure Project, a nonprofit that creates jobs in developing countries. Founded by two American women, The Adventure Project invests in entrepreneurial solutions that save lives. Since 2010, they have created 1,670 jobs to uplift people from poverty.
Elizabeth molds stoves from clay in a backyard workshop at her neighbor’s house (another female stove mason!) She showed me the process of making clay, molding stoves, drying, firing with a homemade kiln, and painting.
I then followed Elizabeth to the market to try to help her sell stoves. I watched as she explained to local women how a stove will minimize and contain smoke, so they can breathe freely as they cook. Each stove also saves a family 20% of their daily expenses because they use 50% less charcoal each day!
How frightfully humbling it is to realize that cooking meals can cause such harm, and one simple stove can change everything.
Even crazier…it only costs $20 to fund a stove!
Please join me in supporting The Adventure Project. Your donation will go directly to Tanzania to provide training on masonry, marketing, and business management. Elizabeth and other female stove masons are now opening bank accounts, improving profit margins, and even hiring employees! As they sell more and more stoves, they can truly provide a clean, safe environment for women to cook!
One by one, stove by stove, you can help save lives.
DONATE HERE: www.crowdrise.com/mile-1-tanzania
