Making a Ripple
Solidor has made an agreement with Ripple Africa, to donate 20 cook stoves and 2,500 trees as part on an ongoing support programme for the charity, which supports families in Malawi.
The initial donation by Solidor is for 20 Ripple Rockets, which are safe and energy efficient cooking stoves for families, in a country where over 90% of the population use wood or charcoal for cooking. Also, in a recent survey carried out by Ripple Africa, it was found that 60% of households had a family member who had been badly burnt either by falling into a traditional three-stone fire or when their clothes had caught fire.
Solidor has also contributed to the growing of 2,500 senna siamea tree seedlings in small polythene tubes, which will provide a sustainable source of quick-growing fuel wood. Ongoing, the company will donate one of these for every composite door sold.
Ripple Africa operates in northern Malawi and has been involved with tree planting and fuel-efficient cook stove projects for a number of years. The charity works with communities to provide an integrated approach to the cooking stove and fuelwood problems. There is an awareness programme to highlight these problems and to introduce more sustainable methods to resolve them. These methods comprise of making compost, planting fuelwood and fruit trees at household level, and providing fuel-efficient, safe Ripple Rocket cook stoves which are made entirely out of locally sourced, natural materials.
Gareth Mobley, managing director of Solidor, said: “Ripple Africa is an important charity, contributing to the welfare of families in northern Malawi. It also involves the adoption of processes that are far better for the environment, much like our own business operations. We’re looking forward to providing them with many, many tree plants over the coming years, as we continue to build the presence of our featured packed composite doors in the market.”
