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'''''"How can people earn money by making and selling solar cookers, when some solar cookers are so easy to make that almost anyone can do it?”'''''
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If potential customers build their own cookers instead of buying them from a cooker production company, yes, that company would have some problems making sales. Again, though, it is good to distinguish between theory and practice. From SCI's point of view, it would be wonderful if solar cookers were being copied and produced by individuals who had seen cookers being sold and used by others--this would greatly speed up the spread of solar cooking. However, in practice, I have heard very few reports from developing countries about people spontaneously copying the solar cookers of their neighbors. In fact, I remember two such reports in the past 3 or 4 years, and in both cases the copying was fairly minor in comparison to the number of cookers produced by the main project. On the basis of that (admittedly thin) evidence, it seems plausible that most cookers in an area would be purchased, not home-made. Here's another thought--if there was a small production co-op to make solar cookers, or a small business, the producers would be dealing in higher volume and could therefore buy the necessary supplies--foil, cardboard, glue, black paint, plastic bags--in bulk, lowering the unit cost per cooker, compared to the prices a person who was planning to build one or two cookers might pay. The producer organization, because of its organization and experience, should be able to produce better cookers more cheaply.
  
   
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So, it is possible that even where some people make their own, there would still be a market for cooker sales. How lucrative this market would be is hard to predict and would vary greatly from place to place. In areas where people commonly made a variety of tools for themselves, the business of selling solar cookers might not be very profitable or profitable for long. On the other hand, in some areas, activities such as acquiring aluminum foil and making something with it could seem very alien--something people would not take to, meaning that they'd be more likely to buy a cooker than make one for themselves.
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'''''"How can people earn money by making and selling solar cookers, when some solar cookers are so easy to make that almost anyone can do it?”'''''
   
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However, home-made production of CooKits is not likely to ever be a huge money maker, because it would be hard to sell them for a lot more than the combined costs of supplies and labor needed to make them. However, small profits seem possible. With box cookers, the profit margin may be greater, because they require somewhat more specialized work and because they are larger capacity and more expensive, there is the possibility of a greater profit margin. However, box cookers would only work as a product for sale in communities that could afford box cookers.
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It may seem, if potential customers are to build their own cookers instead of buying a similar model from a cooker production company, that company will probably have some problems making sales. However, it is important to distinguish between theory and practice. If solar cookers were being copied and produced by individuals who had seen cookers being sold and used by others--this would greatly speed up the spread of solar cooking. However, in practice, there are few reports from developing countries about people spontaneously copying the solar cookers of their neighbors. If there was a small production co-op to make solar cookers, or a small business, the producers would be able to purchase materials in higher volume, and lower the unit cost per cooker, compared to the prices a person who was planning to build one or two cookers might pay. The production organization, because of its experience, should be able to produce better cookers more cheaply.
   
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A vitally important point to make here is that selling cookers is not a path to quick wealth. If one builds cookers at a low enough cost that they can be sold for a small profit margin, that is a step in the right direction. However, one then has to consider the costs of doing the selling. If people are lining up outside your workshop to buy your products, your costs of doing the selling, per unit, will be small, so your profits are more likely. However, if the producer has to spend hours going from house to house trying to convince the skeptical to buy cookers, the profits will seem too small for the amount of time spent. In our field project in Kenya, where we are trying to explore how cookers are best marketed in a rural African setting, we had no illusions that our first field project would be a net income producer in its first X number of years. We expect our project costs to far exceed the combined income for all our sales people in the project for many years. Part of our expenses will come from the fact that we are trying to monitor, measure, and extract learning from the process. However, there is something more fundamental to consider. Our theory is that the first cookers in a community are the hardest to sell. It is hard to sell something that is unknown, unproven, and unfamiliar to people who have to watch every penny they spend. So, in the early stages of our project, we expected to spend a lot of money creating awareness, so that the cookers become more familiar in the area. We have done lots of demonstrations of solar cooking, so that the cookers are less unproven. We expect that after 500 or 1000 cookers have been in use in the area for a while and neighbors start telling neighbors about the benefits and showing off their solar baked goods, etc., that sales will increase, and more importantly the ease of sales will increase, so that each seller can sell more cookers while spending less time making the sales, so that each individual seller's earnings per hour or per day will become better and better. When solar cooking is well known, we expect sales to become easy--mostly through repeat customers (who want a second or third cooker or a replacement for a damaged one) and from the formation of new families through marriage. However, we have only had one field project that really was shaped to test and refine ideas about solar cooker sales as an income producing project for individual sellers, and that project is far from complete.
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Globally, the situation is changing quickly. The market for more finished and durable solar cookers continues to grow in developed countries. Several established manufacturers sell many cookers each year with sustainable profits. In the past, various nonprofit organizations have subsidized the production of inexpensive solar cookers, such as the [[CooKit]], through programs aimed at developing countries. Often these programs allow low-income program participants to earn a small wage. Typically, these programs have been successful in encouraging the continued use of the solar cookers, and empowering these people's lives. So the concept of income generation can have different goals, depending on the situation. Also, as of 2012, a number of [[Solar restaurants and bakeries|solar restaurants and bakeries]] have successfully been in operation around the world.
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It is also important to consider the costs of doing the selling. However, there is something more fundamental to consider. It is hard to sell something that is unknown, unproven, and unfamiliar to people who have to watch every penny they spend.
   
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I have heard of people making reasonable profits from the sales of solar cookers--mainly in India. India started on the road to solar cooking in the 1970s and by the 1980s had a national program to boost solar cooking by subsidizing the sale of cookers. With the government helping to create awareness (and from awareness, market demand) and subsidizing the cookers, some businesses did make money. I met one successful Indian producer of cookers, and he indicated that it had not been easy getting started. He and his wife did tons of work following up with their first customers, to make sure those first customers had a good experience with solar cooking, so that there would be favorable word of mouth about solar cooking in the town. They distributed newsletters with additional solar cooker recipes to keep their early customers interested. In fact, in the early days, they developed a series of questions to ask potential customers, so that they could gauge how likely that customer was to actually use the cooker and use it correctly enough to get satisfaction from the purchase--then they would refuse to sell to people who they thought would not have a good solar cooker experience. In short, they were building their business for the long run, not the short run. They succeeded to the point where solar cookers became a common wedding present in the town.
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Solar cooker manufacturers in [[China]] and [[India]] have had the support of their governments, who see the growing environmental and health problems more acutely than in western countries, and have achieved success with their businesses. India started on the road to solar cooking in the 1970s and by the 1980s had a national program to boost solar cooking by subsidizing the sale of cookers.
   
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To recap what I've been saying here--it is possible that small scale selling of home-made cookers could yield tiny profits, but the time spent selling the cookers might make the amount earned seem less than worthwhile. Also, the most profitable period for solar cooker sales is not in the beginning, but years or a decade later, when solar cooking has become common place, so that there is a real, permanent market for cookers.
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There are also business possibilities for niche markets. In areas where people cook over open fires, it is often difficult to bake. So baked goods are considered a special treat, one that customers are willing to pay for. Small businesses have begun baking these treats with solar ovens. The profits are small, but they significantly supplement subsistence incomes.
   
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That, however, is not the end of the income generation question. SCI's belief is that producing cookers is less than half the battle. The harder part of the equation is teaching people how to use them well enough that the users do reap a large portion of the possible benefits. So, in our field project, we are investigating the possibility of the teachers of solar cooking skills charging a small fee to their students as a way for them to earn some income while helping spread solar cooking. I don't think we have enough results yet to say anything authoritative on how this works or how it can best be done.
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In parts of India there is a large mango crop that is harvested each year. Historically, for a couple months a year, the harvest has created a huge surplus of mangos. More than could be effectively distributed before spoilage would occur. But since employing [[Solar food drying|solar drying equipment]], excess stock is dried and sold year round, creating valuable additional income for their businesses.
   
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The type of income generation that seems easiest to attain without a lot of money and effort spent up front building awareness and markets would most likely be using the cookers in an income-generating way. I know of one case of a refugee woman who started a micro-baking enterprise in a refugee camp, using her solar cookits. Baking is very, very difficult on the traditional three-stone fire, so in many communities people do not bake for themselves, but baked goods are often considered a special treat, one that they will pay for. So, this woman purchased ingredients for baked goods (she probably did not get a good deal on her purchases, because her business and capital were far too small to allow her to buy in bulk, and in fact she had to buy in a marketplace that was more or less stacked against the buyer. However, because she was filling a real market niche, and because she didn't have any fuel costs, she did make a profit. By US standards, of course, the amount of profit was pathetic, but by her standards, it really boosted her quality of life. I've heard about a women's group that got into solar cooking in the 1990s in Kenya. They earned extra money by specializing in baking birthday cakes--a valuable item most people couldn't make for themselves because they couldn't bake.
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A carpenter in [[Kenya]] earns income from making solar cookers. He has done this on his own, without support from any larger institution, spreading awareness or encouraging people to buy solar cookers. He builds and sells about twelve wooden [[solar box cooker]]s per year. He cannot support himself on solar cookers alone--they were just one aspect of his carpentry business. So, in thinking about solar cookers and income generation, it may not pay to think of the solar cooker income as being one's only or main income stream, but simply being an additional income. Also solar cookers can be just part of the inventory of a new sretail business to help maintain consistent sales.
   
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If you still have our instruction booklet about how to make, use and enjoy solar cookers, turn to page 42. It gives a number of uses for solar cookers. Perhaps in your community, one or more of these functions are desired but expensive or unavailable. If so, those who have solar cookers could provide these functions for a small fee. Solar cookers provide a small area of concentrated heat, and heat tends to dry things out. So any task that requires modest heating and/or drying on a small scale may be something that can be done with solar cookers, thus opening up possibilities for income generation.
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A group at the University of Chile did extensive work with solar cookers in one small town in the deserts of northern [[Chile]], the town of Villaseca. When they finished their very intensive promotion project, most of the town’s people were confirmed users of solar box cookers. After they were thoroughly familiar with how to make solar cookers, how to use solar cookers, and the striking advantages of solar cookers that they could see for themselves, the people in the community took two further steps. They formed the [[Association of Solar Artisans of Villaseca]] and started producing box cookers to sell in neighboring towns, where people had heard or witnessed Villa Seca's success. And, they started [[Delicias del Sol]] restaurant based on using solar cookers. As of 2012, the Villaseca solar restaurant has become a significant tourist attraction in that part of Chile. Note that the [[Solar Project Gambia]] has also started a restaurant call '' Elena's Solar Food Restaurant''. {{Main|Solar restaurants and bakeries}}
   
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I have had my own income generation fantasy, which has not been tested as far as I know. My idea is based on the idea that some foods simply take a lot of cooking--beans being a good example. So, I imagine a tiny business in which one offers the service of cooking beans for other families. The fee for cooking a pot of beans could be set at 1/2 the cost of the firewood that would be used to cook the beans for oneself--thus giving people a strong motive to use the service. I might have 10 CooKits, so I could probably cook 20 jars of beans per 5 or 6 hour day. My earnings would be the equivalent of 10 bundles of wood, which wouldn't be too bad for a job that didn't require very much real work. Perhaps I could be knitting during my down-time. However, the big bonus to this plan would be that people would get the idea that they too could use solar cookers to cook their beans and other foods. Thus, I would be building a market for the cookers that I would sell to supplement my income from bean cooking.
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There is potential for income generation with solar cookers, however, it is not automatic, and profitability will likely take time. Awareness of the potential of solar cooking is growing and new business opportunities will continue to be created as solar cooking becomes more widely accepted.
   
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Another story on this topic. I've heard from a carpenter in Kenya who actually earns income from making solar cookers. He has done this on his own, without support (I'm pretty sure about this) from any larger institution spreading awareness or encouraging people to buy solar cookers. He builds and sells about 12 wooden solar box cookers per year. Obviously, he could not support himself on solar cookers alone--they were just one aspect of his carpentry business. So, in thinking about solar cookers and income generation, it may not pay to think of the solar cooker income as being one's only or main income stream, but simply being an additional income.
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==Recent news and developments==
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[[File:Solar_Circle_program_in_Tanzania,_1-10-13.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Solar Circle]] public service exchange program in [[Tanzania]]]].
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*'''January 2013: Solar Circle uses barter system to distribute 3000 solar cookers in Tanzania''' - The NGO [[Solar Circle]] has learned many things from their solar cooking program in Masasi, southern [[Tanzania]]. People will use solar cookers if they are efficient and affordable, which is often a problem for subsistence farmers who are most in need of the cookers even when the cookers are heavily subsidized. However, they have also learned that people will work hard to earn a solar cooker. The group has created a bartering system with community leaders. The community chooses a service project and the beneficiaries organize and oversee the effort. Participants earn an solar oven for their involvement. So far, the program has distributed more than 3000 solar ovens, and built 40 houses for people who are sick, elderly, widowed, or disabled. Because the community chooses the project and beneficiary, there’s an eagerness to work together. Surrounding villages have heard of the cookers and the program, so spreading the word has been easy. They cannot keep up with demand. The barter program relies on external help with finances, but community service represents the same effort that of money earned in outside employment. Solar Circle values that effort, and raises what money it can from friends to expand the program.
   
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That story reminds me of the Development Technology Centre's project in Zimbabwe. We worked with them for a number of years, and they experimented with setting up women as sellers of solar cookers for income generation. I suspect there were problems with this program in that some of the sellers may have been too eager for the quick sale and less inclined to provide the customer follow-through that would enable large numbers of people to succeed with their solar cookers and thus help build positive awareness and a better long term market in the community. Be that as it may, what was interesting was that the women who seemed most successful were women who already had small businesses. Therefore, they had an existing client base to whom to sell cookers, and if on a visit they failed to sell a cooker, their time might have been paid for by selling one of their other products. The point is that they did not depend exclusively on cooker sales, but included them as part of their line of products and services.
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[[File:SHEP_workshop_2009.jpg|thumb|250px|Recent [[Solar Health and Education Project]] workshop for unschooled mothers.]]
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*'''December 2012: Solar cooking has created a business opportunity for a group of women in Zambia''' - The [[Solar Health and Education Project]] (SHEP) has initiated a project at a community-based nursery school in Livingstone, [[Zambia]] for unschooled mothers. Previously, their only source of income had been illegally making charcoal. During the course of the program, they learned how to make and use the [[CooKit]] solar cooker as an income generating activity. Thier next step was to create a registered group called [[Solar Ventures]] (SV). They have been holding SHEP-funded workshops at clinics, schools, agricultural shows (where they won 1st place for the most interesting booth in 2011), and government-sponsored functions on energy and conservation. They were invited to Lusaka to run a three-day workshop for a UK based NGO. Their life is certainly different now since their introduction to solar cooking.
   
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One last story. Years and years ago, a group at the University of Chile did extensive work with solar cookers in one small town in the deserts of northern Chile, the town of Villa Seca. When they finished their very intensive promotion project, most of the town’s people were confirmed users of solar box cookers. After they were thoroughly familiar with how to make solar cookers, how to use solar cookers, and the striking advantages of solar cookers that they could see for themselves, the people in the community took two further steps. They started producing box cookers to sell in neighboring towns, where people had heard or witnessed Villa Seca's success. And, they started a restaurant based on solar cookers. I have read articles within the past few years that describe the Villa Seca solar restaurant as being a significant tourist attraction in that part of Chile. Note that the [[Solar Project Gambia]] has also started a restaurant call '' Elena's Solar Food Restaurant''
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*'''July 2006:''' [[Media:Granada_06_derk_rijks.pdf|Use and Manufacture of CooKits in a Refugee Camp, Iridimi, Chad]]
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It is likely that none of these stories match the exact situation you face, but they may point your thinking in useful directions. I think the key points are that there is potential for income generation with solar cookers, that it is not automatic, and that profitability, if it is achieved, will be more likely and of a larger scale later rather than sooner--after solar cooking becomes widely accepted.
  
   
 
==See also==
  
==See also==
 
*[[Mass-producing CooKits]]
  
*[[Mass-producing CooKits]]
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*[[Solar restaurants and bakeries]]
  
*[[Solar restaurants and bakeries]]
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*[[Solar food processing]]
  
*[[Solar food processing]]
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*[[Association of Solar Artisans of Villaseca]]
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*'''July 2006:''' [[Media:Granada_06_derk_rijks.pdf|Use and Manufacture of CooKits in a Refugee Camp, Iridimi, Chad]]
  
 
[[Category:Solar cooking promotion]]
  
[[Category:Solar cooking promotion]]

Latest revision as of 04:20, February 9, 2013

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"How can people earn money by making and selling solar cookers, when some solar cookers are so easy to make that almost anyone can do it?”

It may seem, if potential customers are to build their own cookers instead of buying a similar model from a cooker production company, that company will probably have some problems making sales. However, it is important to distinguish between theory and practice. If solar cookers were being copied and produced by individuals who had seen cookers being sold and used by others--this would greatly speed up the spread of solar cooking. However, in practice, there are few reports from developing countries about people spontaneously copying the solar cookers of their neighbors. If there was a small production co-op to make solar cookers, or a small business, the producers would be able to purchase materials in higher volume, and lower the unit cost per cooker, compared to the prices a person who was planning to build one or two cookers might pay. The production organization, because of its experience, should be able to produce better cookers more cheaply.

Globally, the situation is changing quickly. The market for more finished and durable solar cookers continues to grow in developed countries. Several established manufacturers sell many cookers each year with sustainable profits. In the past, various nonprofit organizations have subsidized the production of inexpensive solar cookers, such as the CooKit, through programs aimed at developing countries. Often these programs allow low-income program participants to earn a small wage. Typically, these programs have been successful in encouraging the continued use of the solar cookers, and empowering these people's lives. So the concept of income generation can have different goals, depending on the situation. Also, as of 2012, a number of solar restaurants and bakeries have successfully been in operation around the world. It is also important to consider the costs of doing the selling. However, there is something more fundamental to consider. It is hard to sell something that is unknown, unproven, and unfamiliar to people who have to watch every penny they spend.

Solar cooker manufacturers in China and India have had the support of their governments, who see the growing environmental and health problems more acutely than in western countries, and have achieved success with their businesses. India started on the road to solar cooking in the 1970s and by the 1980s had a national program to boost solar cooking by subsidizing the sale of cookers.

There are also business possibilities for niche markets. In areas where people cook over open fires, it is often difficult to bake. So baked goods are considered a special treat, one that customers are willing to pay for. Small businesses have begun baking these treats with solar ovens. The profits are small, but they significantly supplement subsistence incomes.

In parts of India there is a large mango crop that is harvested each year. Historically, for a couple months a year, the harvest has created a huge surplus of mangos. More than could be effectively distributed before spoilage would occur. But since employing solar drying equipment, excess stock is dried and sold year round, creating valuable additional income for their businesses.

A carpenter in Kenya earns income from making solar cookers. He has done this on his own, without support from any larger institution, spreading awareness or encouraging people to buy solar cookers. He builds and sells about twelve wooden solar box cookers per year. He cannot support himself on solar cookers alone--they were just one aspect of his carpentry business. So, in thinking about solar cookers and income generation, it may not pay to think of the solar cooker income as being one's only or main income stream, but simply being an additional income. Also solar cookers can be just part of the inventory of a new sretail business to help maintain consistent sales.

A group at the University of Chile did extensive work with solar cookers in one small town in the deserts of northern Chile, the town of Villaseca. When they finished their very intensive promotion project, most of the town’s people were confirmed users of solar box cookers. After they were thoroughly familiar with how to make solar cookers, how to use solar cookers, and the striking advantages of solar cookers that they could see for themselves, the people in the community took two further steps. They formed the Association of Solar Artisans of Villaseca and started producing box cookers to sell in neighboring towns, where people had heard or witnessed Villa Seca's success. And, they started Delicias del Sol restaurant based on using solar cookers. As of 2012, the Villaseca solar restaurant has become a significant tourist attraction in that part of Chile. Note that the Solar Project Gambia has also started a restaurant call Elena's Solar Food Restaurant.

Main article: Solar restaurants and bakeries

There is potential for income generation with solar cookers, however, it is not automatic, and profitability will likely take time. Awareness of the potential of solar cooking is growing and new business opportunities will continue to be created as solar cooking becomes more widely accepted.

Recent news and developmentsEdit

Solar Circle program in Tanzania, 1-10-13
Solar Circle public service exchange program in Tanzania
Paul HedrickAdded by Paul Hedrick
.
  • January 2013: Solar Circle uses barter system to distribute 3000 solar cookers in Tanzania - The NGO Solar Circle has learned many things from their solar cooking program in Masasi, southern Tanzania. People will use solar cookers if they are efficient and affordable, which is often a problem for subsistence farmers who are most in need of the cookers even when the cookers are heavily subsidized. However, they have also learned that people will work hard to earn a solar cooker. The group has created a bartering system with community leaders. The community chooses a service project and the beneficiaries organize and oversee the effort. Participants earn an solar oven for their involvement. So far, the program has distributed more than 3000 solar ovens, and built 40 houses for people who are sick, elderly, widowed, or disabled. Because the community chooses the project and beneficiary, there’s an eagerness to work together. Surrounding villages have heard of the cookers and the program, so spreading the word has been easy. They cannot keep up with demand. The barter program relies on external help with finances, but community service represents the same effort that of money earned in outside employment. Solar Circle values that effort, and raises what money it can from friends to expand the program.
SHEP workshop 2009
Recent Solar Health and Education Project workshop for unschooled mothers.
Tom SponheimAdded by Tom Sponheim
  • December 2012: Solar cooking has created a business opportunity for a group of women in Zambia - The Solar Health and Education Project (SHEP) has initiated a project at a community-based nursery school in Livingstone, Zambia for unschooled mothers. Previously, their only source of income had been illegally making charcoal. During the course of the program, they learned how to make and use the CooKit solar cooker as an income generating activity. Thier next step was to create a registered group called Solar Ventures (SV). They have been holding SHEP-funded workshops at clinics, schools, agricultural shows (where they won 1st place for the most interesting booth in 2011), and government-sponsored functions on energy and conservation. They were invited to Lusaka to run a three-day workshop for a UK based NGO. Their life is certainly different now since their introduction to solar cooking.

See alsoEdit

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