Residents of Khubvi village and surrounding areas received a welcome post-Christmas gift last week when environmentally friendly cooking stoves were distributed to them. The stoves, which use wood as fuel, are said to be up to 70% more efficient than cooking on an open fire.
The stoves were warmly received by residents, many of whom cannot afford electricity for cooking because of its high cost. One resident, Edith Makhale, said she had already started using the stove as it consume less firewood and dis not rely on electricity. "I am really over the moon because of this stove. I wish they would give us at least two stoves per family," she said. Another resident, Nndavheleseni Mmbengeni, echoed her sentiments, adding that the stove cooked much faster than a traditional open fire.
The stoves are being distributed by the TASC Foundation, which specialises in carbon mitigation projects, also known as carbon-offset programmes. These initiatives are often funded by large international companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprints. Such companies invest in environmental projects that either lower emissions or absorb carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere. The aim is to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by offsetting the carbon dioxide one produces with an equivalent reduction or removal elsewhere.
According to TASC's website, more than 700 million people in Africa rely on wood or charcoal as cooking fuel. Burning wood on traditional open fires is both inefficient and hazardous. "Switching to efficient stoves could prevent over 250 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually; however, most families can't afford to buy them," the website states.
The project manager for TASC's operations in Vhembe, Ndivhuwo Sigwavhulimu, said the organisation began distributing the stoves in 2021. When asked how many stoves they planned to donate to poor families in rural areas, he said they aimed to distribute 100,000.
Smoke from open fires also poses serious health risks, which TASC hopes to mitigate. "The stoves' higher combustion efficiency reduces smoke by an estimated 50%, significantly lowering incidents of respiratory illness among women and children, who are historically most exposed to household air pollution," Sigwavhulimu said.
The project is expected to run until 2028 and is forecast to prevent 11.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.