IN a move to support president’s Samia Suluhu Hassan’s clean cooking agenda, mama Rose Frank Marealle, the wife of the Head Chief (Mangi) of Wachagga,Frank Marealle donated a total of 60 gas stoves to her fellow women at her home village of Msae-Kinyamvuo located in Mwika North ward, Moshi rural district Kilimanjaro region.

Speaking during the handover ceremony of the gas stoves at her village over the weekend, mama Marealle accompanied by her husband Mangi Frank Marealle explained that apart from join president Samia’s clean cooking agenda, the stoves and chef aprons she provided to her fellow women villagers is a part of her series of activities to Celebrate Valentine’s Day observed on February 14, every year.

“As you have seen, our village is located nearby the Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA’s) conservation areas; so my decision to provide gas stoves to my fellow women villagers aims also to promote sustainable environmental protection and conservation,” she explained adding that, the cooking gas stoves she provided is her Valentine’s gift to them.

 She added that, her initiative is intended to augment efforts to combat climate change.

“I bought 50 cooking gas stoves for them (her fellow women villagers), and one of my friends, my beloved daughter Felister Masenga supported my initiative by adding more ten gas stoves which makes a total of 60-gas stoves that will be provided to the my follow women in my village aged 65 years and above,” mama Marealle explained.

She further explained that she distributes ethanol stoves to them, complementing the government’s efforts to mitigate climate change effects.

“About 80 percent of households in Tanzania rely on charcoal and firewood for cooking, which amounts to upwards of 8m households. This reliance has resulted in the loss of over 25 percent of forest cover,” she stated.

For their part, some of the beneficiaries of the mama Mangi Marealle’s initiative, Marry Doughlas Makyao, Elifuraha Mgase, and Janeth Mariki all residents of Msae-Kinyamvuo village applauded the role played by Chief Marealle’s family in their village including their support on socio-economic activities among women, environmental protection and conservation, among many others.

Ethanol is one of the most affordable alternative energy sources and is widely available in the market, he stated, complementing the campaign starting May this year when President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched a 10-year national clean cooking energy strategy.

It was pegged to $1.8bn (4.0trn/-) expenditure estimates in the campaign, with a number of public institutions tasked with organising shitting to cleaner energy when serving in-house communities of over 100 people, including prisons, military camps, educational and health establishments, etc.

In remarks at the launch, President Samia expressed concern on the dangers posed by unsafe cooking methods, pointing at firewood and charcoal, urging that the strategy be integrated into the Vision 2050 expression of views.

There was also a need to establish a specialized fund to mobilize resources for clean cooking energy access, while energy firms came up with donations of gas cylinders in the aftermath.