MINISTER of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Labor, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disabilities) Ridhiwani Kikwete has underscored the need for enhanced clean cooking campaign to protect both people’s health and forests.

Kikwete who is legislator for Chalinze Constituency raised the mater, stating that 88 percent of charcoal used in Dar es Salaam comes from his constituency in Coast Region.

He spoke at the weekend in an event to handover 200 gas cylinders and stoves to nurses who care for mothers with premature babies at Chalinze District Hospital. He said the gas cylinders provided by Onyx Gas Tanzania Limited in collaboration with the Doris Mollel Foundation, would enable beneficiaries to spend more time caring for the mothers instead of spending hours collecting firewood in the bush.

Kikwete acknowledged the significant contribution in supporting the government’s efforts to promote clean cooking energy.

“Our nurses will now have enough time to take care of mothers with premature babies in our hospital. One could spend hours cooking with firewood and charcoal, but using gas requires time,” he said.

He said the stakeholders are not only support the government’s initiative to promote clean cooking energy but also help protect the environment as people no longer have to go  to the forests for firewood.

He highlighted that over the past four years, 88 percent of the charcoal supplied to Dar es Salaam come from Chalinze, prompting the need for special patrols to monitor activities inside the Wami Mbiki Conservation Area where most of trees are cut for charcoal.

“We are working closely with authorities in the Wami Mbiki Conservation Area to ensure protection of the environment,” he said.

Alice Mwakatika, Project Manager at Doris Mollel Foundation, said that in collaboration with Oryx, they distributed gas cylinders to nurses with the goal of promoting clean cooking energy which is a global campaign that has received strong support from President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

“We have given these cylinders to nurses because we know they spend a lot of time with patients, especially mothers. Our focus is on maternal and child health. Many of the nurses are midwives taking care of babies in the wards. They will become ambassadors of clean energy as they share the importance of clean energy with pregnant women and other patients,” she said.

Gabriela Mtwale, Chief Nurse at Chalinze District Hospital expressed gratitude for the gas cylinders, promising to continue educating patients on the importance of using cleaner energy.