Most people in rural Africa do not have access to electricity and cook on inefficient and smoky wood fires. The solar lights and improved stoves project solves two problems at once. It does this by providing both solar home lighting systems (SHS = solar home system) and improved cook stoves (ICS) to participating households.First VPI and its partners teach and encourage people to install an ICS with a chimney. This removes the smoke from the kitchen and reduces wood consumption by about 30%. After people build stoves they are offered a solar home lighting system (SHS) at a discounted price. The discount is about ¼ the cost of the system and people have the option of buying the solar system at a discount ($100 - $25 = $75), or of grouping themselves into groups of four and getting one SHS for every four households.

The combined solar lighting and improved stoves project is a very cost effective way of providing multiple benefits: climate benefits from the decreased wood use and deforestation from the improved stoves, poverty reduction from the increased time and education that the lights bring, and improved health from the decreased indoor air pollution from the efficient stove with chimney.

Improved (left) vs. Traditional (right) Cook Stoves

Village Projects International (VPI) has partnered with the White Star Society and the Zanzibar Women’s Corporation (ZAWCO)—two local NGOs—to implement the solar lights and improved stove project on the small island of Tumbatu which is located off the much larger island of Unguja in Zanzibar.

The Tumbatu solar lights and improved stoves project was started based on the 17 year relationship between Zanzibar Women’s Corporation (ZAWCO) and the ICSEE (http://www.the-icsee.org = the International Collaborative for Science, Education, and the; Environment is the parent organization of VPI). When the ICSEE heard about the success of the first solar lights and stoves project in Eritrea in 2006, they contacted ZAWCO and asked them to find a community that would be most in need of solar energy for lights in Zanzibar. ZAWCO found two communities on the island of Tumbatu (Jongowe and Gomani) that work with a local NGO called the White Star Society which had no access to electricity.

In November 2007, VPI volunteers visited Tumbatu Jongowe. In a community meeting everyone agreed to start the project, and 10 solar home lighting systems were initially installed as a demonstration while some training in improved stove construction was provided to a local artisan.

By March 2008, 160 improved stoves were built. Then in May 2008, VPI shipped 100 solar home lighting systems. And in July 2008 a VPI volunteer went to install, distribute and train local people in the installation of the solar systems. The original 10 lighting systems were rehabilitated, the improved stoves were tested for efficiency (the observed improvement was 30%), 76 solar systems were distributed to new households (some of whom purchased them at a discount), and 14 systems were kept in reserve.

Project Team for Gomani, taken in July 2008

In July 2008, the neighboring village of Gomani on Tumbatu asked to participate in the solar lights and improved stove project. Since then, Gomani has installed about 300 improved stoves and 70 more solar lighting systems have been purchased and shipped for installation in July 2009 along with 14 systems that remain in stock from the 2008 shipment.

Project Activity Summary: Solar Lights and Improved Stoves Project in Zanzibar

Date	Village/Notes	VPI Investment	Solar Lighting Systems	Improved Stoves
11/2007	Jongowe	$2,000	10
3/2008	Jongowe	Local Investment		160
7/2008	Jongowe	$11,700	100
7/2008	Rehabilitated		10
7/2008	In Stock		14
7/2008	Total in use in Jongowe	$13,700	86	160
1/2009	Gomani	Local Investment		300
1/2009	Total in use	$13,700	86	460
5/2009	Shipped	$8,300	70
5/2009	Total In Stock		84

In 2010, VPI hopes to start taking the solar lights and improved stoves program to mainland Tanzania.