The new group "Future for Africa"

Since its foundation, LHL members have been interested in clean household energy, either traditional (wood, charcoal) or modern (solar cookers). Now they have found an identity and defined their vision. Thus the group "Future for Africa" was born in November 2019 during a three-day seminar in Heidelberg.

"Future for Africa" consists of 7 people, who are all involved in projects in Uganda, Kenya, Haiti, Ghana, Tanzania and Togo. They all share the same vision: to provide women in these countries with clay stoves that meet the following requirements:

1. Be inexpensive,

2. emission as few toxic gases and fumes as possible,

3. be as safe as possible: children should not be harmed,

4. use as little wood/charcoal as possible,

5. consist exclusively of local materials,

6. can be easily built by the villagers,

7. become a source of income for men and women,

8. have different sizes to meet women’s needs,

9. be as pretty as possible; paying attention to design and proportions.

The Heidelberg seminar made it possible to bundle the knowledge of each participant, since all of them without exception lead or have led projects in Africa or Haiti. Richard Fetzner and Peter Negele are the two technicians who constantly develop and refine our clay cookers. Thus the 6 segments clay cooker was invented.

The knowledge of the group "Future for Africa" is complemented by the close cooperation with the group "Adich-Foyers pour le Togo", which is mainly composed of Togolese women who develop large clay cookers.

Two members of the German group, Monika Grühn and Bernhard Müller, travelled to Uganda and Kenya in February and March 2020 to present the model of the 6-segment clay cooker to their partners. Local workshops are experimenting with the construction and determine marketing strategies for the cookers. The marketing activities for the "Mama Jiko" - that’s how the stove is called in East Africa - will be started after the acceptance tests have been solved successfully.

A third person, Chantal Kloecker, could not travel to Togo in March as planned due to the coronavirus pandemic, but her partners are taking the matter into their own hands.

We are very eager to hear the reactions of our respective partners. We will keep you informed.

Chantal Kloecker (17 March 2020)