Solar cookers from Africa are both a necessity and a way of life
What may appear to be an interesting gadget for some, is a necessity in other developing areas. For many families in Africa with a solar cooker, they would be unable to prepare healthy meals, due to the lack of electricity and the dangers of cooking over an open fire. Solar ovens also help people boil water to reduce the incidence of disease as a result of dirty drinking water.
Even better, the technology for solar ovens has been around for thousands of years. You don’t need to be connected to the grid to have hot, healthy meals. As a result, is it no wonder that Africa solar kitchens are springing up all over the continent?
There are many models of solar cookers on the market, plus they are easy to make yourself. You can even donate to organizations like aidforafrica.org, which has this to say on its official website:
Solar Cookers International (SCI) spreads solar cooking and safe water awareness and skills worldwide, particularly in developing countries with plentiful sunshine, diminishing sources of cooking fuel and limited sources of safe drinking water. Since its founding in 1987, SCI’s humanitarian and development assistance projects have enabled thousands of families in Kenya, Ethiopia, Chad and Zimbabwe to cook food and pasteurize water with the sun’s energy. Regular use of simple solar cookers improves the health, economic and social status of individuals in the communities and refugee camps where SCI has worked. In addition, tens of thousands of individuals and organizations from around the world have benefited from SCI’s excellent publications, information exchange networks, research, technical support and the internationally recognized Solar Cooking Archive website.
People in Africa need solar cookers. Its no surprise when you consider the substantial benefits, and cheap price tag of about $5-7 a piece. Africa solar kitchens enjoy the following:
- No need to build a fire (this is safer, and more eco-friendly because you don’t need fuel for a campfire)
- No wasted energy as is associated with conventional oven cooking (pre-heating and cool down)
- No use of electricity or natural gas – this type of meal preparation is 100% emission free
- Convenient – think of it as nature’s own slow cooker! Put in your ingredients and return 4-5 hours later for your meal.
Buy a solar cooker to help developing nations
If you want to have your own solar cooker (a great idea, by the way), consider purchasing one from CooKit, because a portion of the price goes to support relief organizations in Third World Countries. Your solar oven can replace ordinary electricity needs, provide a safer way to cook outdoors if you hike, cook or hunt, and can even assist with boiling water.
It may seem like a small thing to those of us that live comfortably, but consider the fact that solar cookers from Africa are not a luxury, but a necessity to those that lack electricity and other basic needs.
For more information, and to donate to the Africa solar cooker cause, see:
Take a minute, review the information and consider donating to help Africa solar kitchens!
Tags: africa solar cooker, africa solar kitchen, solar cooker, solar cookers from africa, solar cookers international, solar oven
You can build a Fun-panel solar cooker in less than an hour from a cardboard box and a few metres of aluminium foil.
Tom Sponheim
Solar Cookers International
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