VESMA | Chimneys for Africa
A solution for excessive smoke inhalation from cooking fires in economically vulnerable communities.
Beginning
Simanjiro Plains | East Africa.
A semi-nomadic Maasai Community approached the organisation my wife was working for at the time with a concern regarding their women and children—they seemed to constantly have a cough and feel sick. Probing deeper, it became apparent that they were spending significant time inside windowless cooking huts cooking over open fires.
Cultural Consonance
The design challenge is significantly greater than simply asking them to cook outside or cook over a gas fire.
With an anthropologist as a core part of our design team, we were able to explore the cultural practices and rituals associated with cooking and why attempts at integrating "clean stoves" into the community had failed.
We spent significant time listening to how the community lives and what they actually want.
Initial Designs
Initially we looked at creating a gravity powered device that utilised a falling weight to generate fan extraction and power a small USB port. We built a prototype out of plywood that worked in priciple but would only run for a maximum of 8 minutes—requiring them to pull the weight up many times during the cooking process.
We then started studying the movement of smoke and air pressure, looking into electrostatic attraction and particle filtration before simplifying the concept to a simple pressure differential—a chimney.
Testing and Prototyping
Core elements of the design included:
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A minimally invasive design that allows community members to continue cooking using time honoured cooking practices
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A design that can be manufactured and repaired locally
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Low manufacturing cost
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Robust and freestanding
Prototype Testing in East Africa
Earlier this year via a travel grant through our partner the Cambridge Centre for Global Equality, we travelled to East Africa to install our first prototype in the community.
Next Steps
We have a sponsor who has promised to fund the material cost for the first 100 chimneys.
We have modified our ex-army Land Rover 110 from a canvas topped two door to a 5 door hard top wagon with a kitchen, bathroom, rooftop tent and interior living space. We will ship the vehicle from Melbourne to Cape Town and then use it to reach remote communities through southern and east Africa.
It allows us to live and work without placing a burden on the communities we are involved in.
