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Last edited: 31 October 2017
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Field support in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique, is needed to locate and finance local women to sell SUNSTOVE units for income. Shipping from South Africa is economical by truck or rail.
The SUNSTOVE solar cooker has been tooled, manufactured and used since 1992 in Southern Africa. The African SUNSTOVE is sold at cost, in Rands with the proceeds used to manufacture more units. Other than the research project study, only seed money has been donated to the project.
Key SUNSTOVE materials are: l) A low cost housing which is blow molded from 75% recycled plastic bottles and 25% virgin material. The case is cheap, strong, light, UV resistant, weather proof and allows the aluminum sheet (walls and bottom) to be snapped into place over the insulations 2) Sloped internal walls and bottom are made from a scrap aluminum off-set (lithograph) printing plate which can be cleaned. 3) Wall insulation from fiberglass blanket, and bottom insulation of high density fiberglass to support the pots of food. 4) A clear cover of glass, plastic sheet or plastic film. In Africa "medium impact acrylic" was chosen because of low cost, availability and strength.
The SUNSTOVE Organisation is a non-profit company and has patents issued for the SUNSTOVE in India, South Africa and the USA. Rights have been given to Rotary in India and the SUNSTOVE Organization in South Africa, while Solar Cooker International has been given permission to use the reflector design in their CooKit.
[Text borrowed from http://www.sungravity.com/solar_cooking__overview.html.]
News[]
- October 2017: Margaret Bennet, Chairman of Sunstove Organisation, reports that the group's Raging Granny project, a program to send Sunstoves to grandmothers in Lesotho is ongoing. As part of the program, the grandmothers participate in a week-long solar cooking training and receive ingredients to cook for their family on their Sunstove.
The Sunstoves are ready to begin baking bread.
The bread dough is prepared.
Carol and Christine pose with a workshop member.
- February 2014: Margaret Bennett reports on a SunStove training that took place earlier this month in Lesotho. The workshop was run by two ladies from Quebec, Canada, and funded by the Raging Grannies of Vancouver. Twenty-five sunstoves were set out with tiles to preheat with soupa dishes placed in the sun on the group to warm the water/oil mixture for the Bohobe (bread) recipe. While the bread baked, we talked - repeating the lessons of the week and answering questions. Everyone is keen to dry fruit in the sunstove & we are excited to hear the results. Keke informed us that fruit buyers in Mohales Hoek pay 50 rand a kilo for dried fruit, so this could be an income-generator for some of these grandparents and children. Much thanks to Carol and Christine, trainers, solar cooks, and carpenters.
- February 2013: The non-profit Sunstove has more than 15,000 solar cookers in use throughout southern Africa. With a new mold, they are already getting orders from Mozambique and Mauritius. A group of Canadians is working to bring SunStoves to Lesotho. This group works "Granny to Granny" allowing the local community to identify the most needy elderly ladies, most of whom are looking after their orphaned grandchildren.
- February 2011: Eco Footprint has created Free From the Sun, an Introduction to Cooking in a Solar Oven. It can be seen here.
See also[]
Contact[]
Margaret Bennet, Chairman
Sunstove Organization
P.O. Box 21960
Crystal Park 1515
South Africa
Telephone: +27 (11) 969-2818
Fax: +27 (11) 969-5110
Email: sunstove@iafrica.com
Web: https://web.archive.org/web/20140410152417/http://www.sungravity.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SunStove-Organization/146109428794399