Youth-made Stoves Provide Income, Protect the E...( RICHMOND Va. June 4 -- A cooking rev...),Health

RICHMOND, Va., June 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A cooking revolution is underway in the Kiboga district of Uganda.

More than 200 families are finding that the double Rocket Lorena stove is making it easier to cook and provide healthy meals for their children. The stoves also are a money maker for youth in the community and are not as harmful to the environment.

These unique stoves are made of out a local mixture of grass, water and mud. And for youth in the Nakitembe community in Kiboga, the stoves are a source of income.

Milly, 22, along with 19 other youth members received training last year on how to make the stoves. Christian Children's Fund and community leaders provided the training and a strategy on how the youth could make money.

"Some people used to not trust me, saying building a stove was more of a boy's job until they realized that my stoves were just as good," Milly said.

Milly spends about five hours building a stove and then selling it to a community member. Since acquiring these skills, Milly has bought herself a mobile phone, a dozen chickens and a goat. She also has money to spend on her personal needs.

The stoves also are environmentally friendly. They use less wood and a family can cook with two pots at the same time.

"We get firewood from the forest," said community member Robinah. "A bundle used to take us two days. With stoves, the same bundle takes 11 days to use."

Robinah says she feels safe using the stoves with her 4-year-old grandson, Aaron, around as the new stove eliminates direct contact with fire. The new stoves also provide safe drinking water for families.

"My family is no longer at risk of some diseases because we now have enough energy to boil water," she said. "Every time we are steaming food, we boil drinking water on the extra stove burner."

CC
'/>"/>