Gasification is the process of extracting and burning gases from wood, eliminating smoke and providing the user with a very safe and improved fire, versus the traditional three stone fire. Traditionally, Kenyan women cook on an open three stone fire located on the dirt floor of their homes, which range from mud huts to less common homes built of hand split stones. The women must endure the continu
ous smoke within the interior of the home, often affecting the young children in the home as well. Another option for cooking is the traditional jiko, which is a small charcoal burning stove made of steel with a clay insert. The kenyan families must purchase this charcoal, which typically costs 50 cents per day, 25% of the average daily income of our stove's users. The traditional method of making charcoal in Kenya is very wasteful, more than half the energy literally goes up in smoke. Much of the wood for charcoal is illegallly harvested in national forests, and is a major source of deforestation. The Wisdom Stoves cook stove, the malaika jiko, improves the livelihood of the families in numerous ways. There are many different fuels that can be burned in the malaika jiko, including wood, coffee husks, and corn cobs, with the hope to find many more possibilities. The wood that burns best inside the stove is processed to the approximate size of a matchbook, then placed inside the stove and safely burned for cooking. This wood can be harvested in many places by any member of the family. Instead of needing large pieces of wood such as standard firewood, the children will now be able to pick up branches while walking home from school to provide the family with wood for cooking the evening's meal. This creativity among the family members will eliminate the need to buy charcoal. The malaika jiko burns the gas within the wood and creates charcoal as a by product. The family can then take this charcoal and use it to cook inside of their original jiko as they are very used to doing. We have been successful in selling gasification wood stoves throughout Kenya, selling nearly 400 of them in 2012, using limited tools and supplies. While we have already improved the lives of hundreds of Kenyans, we are committed to continuing our efforts to provide financial stability and healthy air to thousands more.
