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 Although our foundation has identified many viable endeavors that will improve the lives of women and children in Africa, one of our major objectives is to advance solar cooking - a project that was most dear to Nancy Crooks. If you are not familiar with the benefits of solar cooking then please take a moment to read the information below - you will be amazed how something so simple can improve lives so drastically. For less than US$25.00, we can change the future for an entire family!
In many areas, women’s traditional roles include cooking, gathering firewood and hauling water. Due to climate change and population growth, many areas in Africa exhibit continued depletion of biomass resources from burning wood for cooking or making charcoal to  supply the cities, and many areas are both depleted of plant cover and lack water resources. In these areas, women and girl children spend up to 6 hours a day hauling water or searching for wood for cooking - a search that is sometimes fraught with physical danger including rape and murder. In addition, indoor air pollution from cooking in manyattas - traditional, formerly temporary, housing made of sticks bonded by cow dung that lack both windows and vents - causes many respiratory infections and diseases. In Sub-Saharan Africa, indoor air pollution kills  more people each year than malaria. In these areas, the sun is a viable alternative cooking method. It offers one solution to the many problems faced by women and girl children in particular. It is also a reliable, cheap method to pasteurize water to make it safe for drinking and cooking. Providing one committed woman with the training and means to cook solar can be literally life-changing for her whole family - on average 8-10 people directly benefit from helping one woman. A larger project like bringing commercial solar cooking to a school that feeds hundreds of poor
children or provides meals for a medical center is immeasurably important for community health. All solar cooking projects help improve health and financial security while reducing deforestation, environmental degradation, and desertification. |
