Defying the odds through environmentally friendly stoves

A youth cooperative making environmentally friendly energy saving cooking stoves, commonly known by its French acronym, AJDR, has definitely upped the ante for other cooperatives in the country. The cooperative, which is presently exhibiting its products at the ongoing trade fair in Gikondo, Kigali, sells an average of 30 stoves a day, according to its chairman, Emmanuel Twahirwa. The price of each of the stoves range between Rwf20,000 and 180,000 depending on the size.Located in Kimironko Sector, Gasabo District, AJDR has now become one of the most successful cooperatives that contribute to conservation efforts through its products. AJDR started its activities in 2005 with a capital base of Rwf 1.4million and since then has accumulated Rwf 15m in assets.The stove making business has not only enabled hundreds of people to lead better lives, but has also provided relief to many Rwandans who previously spent much on charcoal, Twahirwa says. The cooperative began as an association with only eight members with the core business of making of metallic stoves, Twahirwa says, hailing the Ministry of Trade and Industry for offering training to its members. “AJDR became a cooperative in 2008 when it used to make metallic stoves that used to consume a lot of charcoal with each costing Rwf 4,000,” Twahirwa testifies.“But with the skills we acquired from various trainings, we now make modern energy saving stoves. A family would use an average of three sacks of charcoal a month but now with our new stoves, you cannot exceed one sack of charcoal a month.”Through its savings, the cooperative has managed to procure a piece of land in Kimironko Sector where its offices are presently situated. Twahirwa reveals that his cooperative collaborates with Energy Water and Sanitary Authority (EWSA) to encourage the general population to use energy saving stoves in place of firewood.The cooperative comprises over 40 members and 25 employees, including 12 formerly marginalised people from Ndera Sector in the same district.“I encourage people, especially the youth to focus on starting their own businesses as anyone is capable of successfully running a business irrespective of how small it is,” Twahirwa said.He appeals to Rwandans to embrace cooperatives, saying this would help them to share entrepreneurship skills and easily acquire loans from banks and other micro-finance institutions.A buyer of the product at the trade fair, Joseline Mukama, expressed optimism that the stove would help her family cut down on energy costs.

National

Defying the odds through environmentally friendly stoves