Fuel saving cooking oven made by local material in Uganda.

Fuel saving cooking oven made by local material in Uganda.

 I came up with this project idea when I was doing my placement in Uganda in the countryside. While I was there, I noticed how Ugandan women cook their meals. Usually they are cooking inside their houses, over a fireplace built out of three stones. This is an ineffective way of cooking because the heat in the open fireplace is not insulated. The main fuel is firewood. If you don`t own your own land, you have to buy the firewood. 

The challenges with this kind of cooking are high risk of fire and smoke injuries. Women are the ones that prepare the meals in Uganda, by talking with them I found out that they weren`t really happy about this way of cooking. They were very interested to find an easier and safer option. 

Ugandan women spend a lot of time preparing their food. That`s why I wanted to design an oven that is well insulated and keeps the heat longer. It also means that you need less wood to prepare the meal. The chimney is essential in this project to get the smoke out of the room.

I was discussing with them about how we could organize the project together. We were talking about ways to establish a company that would travel from village to village making ovens for people around the country. This could then be an additional source of income for the women.

 Collecting termithill clay

 The shape of the oven has changed compared to the one I designed in Norway. The women wanted to change the form to something that is more desirable for them. It gives the oven an identity that leads to the feeling of ownership. That is an important criteria for future success of the oven.