Sun for Life

From Solar Cooking

Sun for Life (SFL), a nongovernmental organization (NGO) based in Geneva, Switzerland, works to empower poor women and fight deforestation and desertification.

SFL has been active in India, Mali, Peru, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Djibouti and Morocco through partnerships with local independent NGOs. It trains local women in the construction and use of solar cookers, enabling them to become trainers themselves. With additional funding, SFL hopes to expand its activities to other developing countries.

The SFL solar cooker is specially designed so that materials needed for its construction can be found relatively easily anywhere in the world, even in remote areas. The total cost of an SFL solar cooker is low, roughly equivalent to that of one meal at a local restaurant. Materials used are cardboard boxes, string, a thick needle, a few thin wooden sticks, paste or glue, a sharp knife, black paint, aluminum foil, natural insulating materials such as straw or rice hulls, rocks and a clear plastic sheet. Women to be trained in construction of the cookers must find the materials on their own so that they learn how to obtain the materials needed for the oven and can explain this to other women. The effort they put into getting the materials motivates them to take good care of the cooker they build and use.

SFL has produced a video that illustrates the construction process of its cooker. This video is accompanied by music rather than words to avoid language barriers. A step-by-step construction procedure for its model and other information can be found on the SFL Website.

SFL is a voluntary organization with no paid staff. It does not give away or sell solar cookers, nor does it award grants or give out loans. SFL welcomes ideas and suggestions, as well as names and addresses of organizations and women who might be interested in becoming field trainers in their own region.

[edit] Contact

Zoy: zoy@sunforlife.org
Mireille Vouillamoz: mireille@sunforlife.org
Maria van Heemstra: mariavh2000@yahoo.com

Web: http://www.sunforlife.org