OUR ACTIVITIES
1.CO2 reduction through solar energy
In the mountainous region around Kilimanjaro, wood is scarce – children often have to walk for miles to get wood for food preparation and water treatment. The stoves are usually very inefficient – often simple 3 stone fireplaces) We want to make our contribution to reducing CO2 emissions by donating solar cookers and energy-saving ovens to schools. This will particularly benefit very poor families whose children receive meals there. MEMA produces solar cookers on site and to spreads knowledge about the use of solar power.
Solar cookers, developed by EG-Solar eV, can be used from sunrise to sunset, have an output of 700 watts and bring 12 liter pots of water to the boil. The food cooked during the day can be kept warm in warming baskets for many hours until dinner. As a supplement for rainy seasons, energy-saving stoves should be built that require 70% less firewood than the existing fireplaces, work efficiently and with almost no smoke
2. Washable hygiene pads for girls strengthen their educational opportunities
Many young girls in rural Tanzania cannot afford industrial sanitary pads. Girls often stay away from class during their menstruation, cause they can only use scraps of fabric that don’t have much absorbency and slip easily. At the vocational school in the rural region around Babati, we want to produce washable hygiene pads that have an absorbent cotton core and a waterproof but breathable outer layer and can be attached to underwear with a snap fastener. In workshops by the teachers on site, hygienic handling and easy cleaning will be practiced using a solar cooker made there. Topics such as mentrual hygiene and other girls’ topics should also be given space and girls should be strengthened in their group.
3. Cloth diapers for the maternity ward
While babies in Tanzania have so far largely been kept away, more and more Tananian families want a diaper solution like the one they see in industrialized nations. However, the use of disposable diapers is a big problem in a country without any waste disposal concepts. Garbage is burned on the open street. The resulting toxic gases are both harmful to health and the environment. In the obstetric ward at Dareda Hospital (Seloto district, Babati region), 1000-2000 babies are born every year. By introducing cloth diapers in the maternity ward, we want to provide a lasting impulse and show that diapers are possible if you want to use them, but they don’t have to be disposable diapers that cause a bad impact on their health when they are burned behind the house. At the same time, it improves the hygiene conditions on the ward itself if newborns can lie next to their newly delivered mother, protected by a diaper.