A pilot project initiated by the Association Nazaha for health and environment has set up a solar-powered oven in the village of Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.
The highlights of the program include 250 households consisting of 2,500 people, receiving training in the techniques of energy management with 500 solar ovens targeted by the end of the year.
The project is funded with US $50,000 provided by Global Environment Facility (GEF)’s Small Grants Program jointly with UNDP.
Currently, more than 250 households use the oven, which can produce up to 100 loaves of bread or cakes a day, which they can sell to increase the income.
The aim of the project is to strengthen community living resources, authorize women, reduce poverty and launch innovative sustainable and environmentally-friendly technologies.
In total, approx. 300 people have attended the training on how to manufacture and use solar ovens, most of them being rural women folks.
Aissata, who received this training, said the project has significantly improved her living conditions. The new drive helps her to earn an average of MRO 8,000 (US $30) per day, she said.
Coal consumption for cooking has been reduced by 50 percent, after the introduction of these solar ovens.
Besides, the project planted 1,600 trees of different species with the aim of raising awareness among the population on reforestation and carbon sequestration.
These initiatives have significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution in the region.
In addition, the organization has included activities like manufacturing of cloth bags and construction of a new headquarters using alternative materials such as bottles, rubber or glass filled with sand.
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