The Enactus NEOMA Rouen association, social entrepreneurship association of the Rouen business school, reveals the outlines of its project name: NEO COOKER. Carried out in collaboration with the inhabitants of Senegal, it aims to respond to the health, economic and ecological challenges of the local population. This article is the first in a series on the adventures of the association and its NEO COOKER project – Article written by Laurine DUTOT, member of the NEO COOKER project at Enactus Neoma Rouen.
Hello everyone, we are Enactus Neoma Rouen, the social entrepreneurship association of the NEOMA Rouen business school. Our goal is to create and support projects with a social and environmental impact with a certain economic viability (even if the primary objective is not the search for profit). Our projects are monitored by the Enactus France organization which offers us seminars and competitions to win prizes and grow our projects. Today we would like to present to you our solution to respond to the environmental, economic and health challenges linked to the use of traditional cooking techniques in Senegal.
Dependence on wood energy is very significant in this country, with 65% of the population using wood for cooking. This also has an effect on women’s health, with respiratory problems linked to the inhalation of toxic fumes released from the incomplete combustion of wood. In addition, they have to travel, on average, 10 km every day to collect the wood needed for cooking, consuming 10 to 12 kilos of wood per day and devoting more than 6 hours per day to cooking.
NEO COOKER, our 100% ecological cooker!
This project was created several years ago and, since November 2022, we have been working on the NEO COOKER in close collaboration with the populations concerned. We use a biofuel made from biomass present locally, inexpensive and easy to produce, which advantageously replaces the use of wood. The fuel used is a mixture of plant waste transformed into pellets.
As part of the design of our cooker, we collaborated with Planète Bois, an association specializing in this type of development. Our solution makes it possible to respond to environmental challenges by avoiding deforestation, while limiting greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps improve women’s health by reducing respiratory problems linked to the inhalation of toxic fumes. Finally, it allows women to devote more time to income-generating activities by reducing wood collection and cooking time.
Our project is an innovative and effective response to the problems observed. It will save many lives by reducing the number of women who die each year from lung cancer in Senegal. We hope to be able to continue to collaborate with local populations to further improve our solution and meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Regularly find news about the NEO COOKER project from Enactus Neoma Rouen on our site!
