25 Kibwe/Kingalu Road, Forest Hill Area, P.O. Box 6053, 67109 Morogoro, Tanzania eamcef@easternarc.or.tz

Energy-Efficient Stoves Reduce Firewood Use and Improve Lives in Shebomeza Village

Energy-efficient stoves have become a transformative solution for reducing deforestation and improving daily life in Shebomeza Village, Muheza District. Sponsored by the Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation Endowment Fund (EAMCEF), the project introduced energy-efficient stoves, known locally as majiko banifu, to help communities near the Amani Nature Forest Reserve reduce their reliance on firewood.

Previously, households used up to four bundles of firewood per week. Thanks to energy-efficient stoves, that demand has been cut down to just one bundle weekly—drastically easing pressure on the forest. In addition to environmental benefits, the stoves have improved indoor air quality. Traditional stoves produced smoke that caused respiratory and eye problems, especially for women, but the new energy-efficient stoves feature ventilation systems that channel smoke outside, creating safer cooking environments.

These stoves are not only healthier but also more efficient. They offer multiple cooking surfaces, cook faster, and produce less soot—saving both time and water when cleaning utensils. To support the community’s long-term use of these stoves, EAMCEF collaborated with the Muheza District Council to train villagers on stove construction and maintenance. Some trained individuals have even turned their skills into small businesses by building and selling energy-efficient stoves, creating new sources of income.

This initiative has proven that energy-efficient stoves are more than just a cooking tool—they are catalysts for forest conservation, health improvement, and local economic development.

These stoves have a specially designed ventilation system that directs the smoke out of the house, reducing health risks.

Story Details

  • Location:
     Shebomeza Village, Muheza District
  • District Surrounding Forest:
    Amani Nature Forest Reserve

KEY DATA

  • 30 villages and 9 schools benefited

  • 3.3M+ households reached

  • 783 TOTs trained

  • 3.3M+ stoves installed

  • Firewood use cut from 16 to 4 head-loads/month

My advice to the Shebomeza community is to continue promoting the use of energy-efficient cookstoves and they will see its benefits. They should use these cookstoves because firstly, they are conserving the environment by using less firewood, secondly, they will find it easier to cook their food quickly, and thirdly they won’t need to spend a lot of time scrubbing pots and pans. If we destroy our environment, we will face many negative consequences such as loss of rainfall and destruction of our diverse ecosystems.

Mariam Jumanne Barua

“Since I started receiving training on efficient stoves, I have benefited in many ways. Firstly, I enjoy the craft itself and I love being an efficient stove technician. Secondly, I have gained financial benefits because I am now building stoves even outside of this village or ward of Amani. Thirdly, I have benefited from environmental conservation because in the past, people used to struggle to find firewood and would have to travel far to get it. But now, as we promote fuel-efficient cookstoves and people accept having them installed, they use less firewood and don’t need to travel far. This means they will only go to collect firewood once a week and the forest in our Amani ward is now recovering and we are receiving rainfall again.

Wallace Suguru Mahimbo

Before this project, I needed four loads of firewood per week for my large family, but after learning to use efficient stoves, I now only need one load per week. This has made my work easier, and I’m grateful to EAMCEF for bringing this beneficial project to us.

Latifa Selemani

My husband is so happy to see me using Mkombozi stoves [improved cook stoves], he feels comfortable joiningme in the kitchen, this was never the case!

NIGHENJIJWE KODA

I was incurring a weekly cost of TZS. 10,000 for firewood, but now with the new stove I spend only TZS. 4,000 for firewood per week. I use the savings to improve the family diet.

MARY BARUBUKA

We were exposed to very high health risk as our old cook stoves produced too much smoke, our eyes and hearts were suffering. The stoves made our kitchen so dirty and unattractive. My family used to spend between 24-32 hours a week fetching firewood, such that we were not able to do other activities when back from the forests. We managed to cut more than 50% of firewood consumption using the new stove, cooking is easy, clean, safe and takes much shorter time.

MARY AGNES

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