Hyat Ab-Elaziz Mouhamed Ali - Low-Smoke Stoves Project (LPG)
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Authors
Elizabeth Dunn
Issue Date
2016-03
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Energy
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Abstract
Hyat Ab-Elaziz Mouhamed Ali lives inEl Fashir and is married with 8 children (3 girls, 5 boys). Hyat has been a part of the Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) stoves project for many years. She explained what it was like before she had LPG and what a difference it has now made to her life. "I was using charcoal for all of my cooking. Sometimes I would use wood. (for making aseeda) I would get the charcoal from the shop, 2 small bags would cost 10SDG. The price is now increasing for charcoal - 2 bags would last for 2 days." "I am affected badly by the smoke - my eyes. I always had eye infections; it is still affecting me now. All the time I would go to the doctor. The doctor gave me eye drops which I have to use every day. I cannot work for too long under the sun now." "It costs 80 SDG per month for the eye drops. The doctor told me it was because of smoke and the sun. I was working as a tea maker in the local shop before. I was making tea using charcoal too. I stopped my children coming to smoke areas. I was aware that the smoke could harm my children. My children are already affected by (eye disease) which will reduce when they are older. Smoke is what has caused this. I didn’t realise before that smoke could cause this. I thought it was normal, I didn’t understand." "When it was really bad, I went to the doctor, then I knew. I grew up with my family cooking on charcoal. The smoke made it difficult to breathe. The walls were black, the roof was black. My eyes streamed. I had a headache a lot. I found out about LPG through the networks. They took requests and then the network selected us. I was selected and now I have my own business. I now lead the Community-Based Organisation (CBO) in my area. I paid all the money back and received training from Practical Action. I now sell milk and work at night. I earn more money now. Women in the district ask me about shifting to clean energy. I want to help the families around me." "It is a long process to get LPG, but I make it easy. I can feel the difference that it is making." Hyat is making a small saving per month now (150 per month for charcoal and 110 for LPG - savings were larger before but the cost of LPG has gone up). "I am really happy. I am feeling like my life has totally changed. I received training on income generation activities. I found out about selling milk from here. Selling milk makes me more money than tea. When I cooked by charcoal and wood, my husband would not help. He found it too hard. He can now help if I need him to. Before, he would never come to the kitchen." "My son now tells me: I remember when you were at a friend’s house recently and Father was in the house, he was making tea." Hyat said the best things about LPG were her improved health; cost reduction and saving time. "Before, when we cooked one meal, it would take an hour. Now it only takes 20 minutes. I can now take care of my children, go and see my friends etc. I can now pay school fees and buy my children clothes."
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