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Last edited: 31 May 2018
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Stephen Pearson
Stephen Pearson has been visiting Ghana, West Africa for over 30 years and still goes there three times a year helping an NGO. During his April 2009 visit he helped train rural ladies in the production of CooKit solar panel cookers. They can now make these unassisted. His recent efforts include the formation of SunLife, an NGO working in the area to introduce and promote solar cooking.
Stephen Pearson reports: "We build CooKits in pieces use eleven small panels of cardboard. Shops even in rural areas have thin cardstock available as scrap. These can be laminated together using local cassava glue (cassava is grown all over Africa) to form stiff panels, thus avoiding the need to import thicker cardboard. Join the eleven panels together with 2" strips of worn out dress or shirt (using the cassava glue). Protect the perimeter of the 11 panels with more 2"strips (1" front and 1" back to stop delamination of the cardboard). Let each panel dry properly. Then turn it over and glue on the aluminum foil to the side that has no cloth hinge strips."
At first we suffered from unavailability of suitable cardboard. This load came from the Dept. of Health in a nearby town in August. With it now available, we are hopeful of improving oven production.
The first ladies involved: Also note the back of the ovens with cardboard panels that are joined by strips of cloth attached with cassava glue.
The first ovens: Also note ladies on right and left holding cardboard panels they are accumulating so as to make their own ovens.
Stephen Pearson presenting an "Oven Mistress" kit (including plastic templates, plans, instructions, razor knife, scissors) to the lady selected by her nearby village.