In Senegal, women are leading change with improved cookstoves. See how buildOn’s Adult Literacy Program sparked innovation that saves wood, protects health, and empowers families in our new blog post!

A Cleaner Future: Improved Cookstoves in Senegal

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October 2, 2025
buildOn in Senegal, Stories
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In rural villages across Senegal, the daily task of cooking has long come with hidden costs: deforestation, dangerous smoke, and hours spent gathering firewood. But the community of Nerane Diarrere is rewriting that story.

With support from buildOn and CREATE! (Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment), former participants of buildOn’s Adult Literacy Program (ALP) have learned to construct energy-efficient cookstoves using only local materials like sand, clay, and millet husks. In just three weeks, they built 73 improved stoves, one for every household in the village.

The Problem with Traditional Cooking Fires

Across Africa, more than 850 million people still rely on wood and charcoal as their primary cooking fuel. The health and environmental consequences are staggering:

  • Inefficient stoves release dangerous smoke, causing indoor air pollution which is linked to nearly half of pneumonia-related deaths among children under five.
  • Women and children spend hours each week gathering firewood, limiting time for school, work, or rest.
  • Unsustainable firewood use accelerates deforestation and increases greenhouse gas emissions.

As gas and oil prices continue to rise, the need for affordable, sustainable alternatives is more urgent than ever.

A Community-Led Solution

Through stove production, ALP participants gain technical skills. Selling or maintaining stoves also provides new income opportunities.
Through stove production, ALP participants gain technical skills. Selling or maintaining stoves also provides new income opportunities.

The new stoves in Nerane Diarrere are designed to be simple, efficient, and sustainable:

  • 70% less firewood is needed, reducing household costs and slowing deforestation.
  • Women spend less time collecting wood, freeing time for income-generating work or education.
  • Improved airflow cuts smoke, creating safer kitchens for families—especially women and children.
  • Skills in stove construction and maintenance open new opportunities to generate income.
These stoves use 70% less firewood, cutting deforestation and environmental damage.
These stoves use 70% less firewood, cutting deforestation and environmental damage.

How to Build an Improved Cookstove

The people of Nerane Diarrere followed these simple steps to build their cookstoves:

Step 1: Gather Materials

Collect sand, clay, dry grass or millet husks, water, and three stones or bricks of equal size.

The people of Nerane Diarrere work together to mix the clay for their new stoves.
The people of Nerane Diarrere work together to mix the clay for their new stoves.
Step 2: Mix the Ingredients

Combine one part sand, three parts clay, one part husks, and one part water. Mix by hand or foot until firm, then shape into balls.

A buildOn staff member shows participants how to use the balls to build the base of the stoves.
A buildOn staff member shows participants how to use the balls to build the base of the stoves.
Step 3: Set the Base

Arrange the stones or bricks in a triangle to support the cooking pot.

Step 4: Build the Walls

Form clay walls around the pot, about one hand-width thick. Leave a small opening for inserting firewood.

Participants learned how to make the walls of the stove out of clay.
Participants learned how to make the walls of the stove out of clay.
Step 5: Smooth and Shape

Smooth the walls with water. Carefully remove the pot and cut two small chimneys inside for airflow.

Step 6: Dry the Stove

Let the stove dry for three days. Remove and twist the pot daily so it doesn’t stick.

Step 7: Ready to Use

Once dry, the stove is ready for cooking—using 70% less firewood and producing far less smoke.

A finished stove. They help families save on firewood or charcoal expenses, reallocating funds for other needs.
A finished stove. They help families save on firewood or charcoal expenses, reallocating funds for other needs.

Built on a Foundation of Literacy and Empowerment

This innovation didn’t happen in isolation. The people of Nerane Diarrere first came together through buildOn’s Adult Literacy Program, where 126 participants—89% of them women—gained skills in reading, writing, and numeracy. With those tools plus seed capital from buildOn, they launched small businesses, from fabric dyeing to soap-making, that grew their collective wealth by 1,650% in just a few years. 

The participants then put their earnings to good use, purchasing three cereal mills and helping to fund two new school blocks for their children. They also used the money they made to buy notebooks for students, cover the kindergarten teacher’s salary, and pay the school’s water bills!

89% of Nerane Diarrere’s ALP participants were women.
89% of Nerane Diarrere’s ALP participants were women.

The cookstove project built on that foundation, demonstrating the ripple effect of education and empowerment. Literacy opened the door. Entrepreneurship built momentum. And now, sustainable cooking is strengthening health, livelihoods, and the environment.

A Model for the Future

What’s happening in Nerane Diarrere reflects a small win that can grow to have a big impact on both the environment and public health in Africa. By combining local leadership with simple, scalable technology, the people of Nerane Diarrere are proving what’s possible.

ALP participants used seed capital from buildOn to grow their businesses, like fabric making.
ALP participants used seed capital from buildOn to grow their businesses, like fabric making.

This is more than a story about stoves. It’s a story about women leading change, about communities building resilience, and about how small innovations can spark big transformations.

Want to help ignite fires of change in communities like Nerane Diarrere? Consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our transformative work.