Mama George
Mama George is a mother of three boys under the age of twelve and is expecting a fourth. With a growing family, she needs to make sure they grow healthy and strong. Her kitchen is poorly ventilated and she spends a lot of money on firewood every day. Luckily for Mama George, the Shamba Chef team have some solutions for her.
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See her kitchen makeover
Mama George lives in Gitutha, Ndeiya, Limuru district.
She cooks on an open fire, the traditional "three stones".
Mama George grows sukuma, onions, spinach and has chickens and an avocado tree. With the right help she can grow more to feed her family. Visit our Kitchen Garden page to find out more.
Her kitchen is not well ventilated, and she suffers a lot from the smoke when she cooks.
The Shamba Chef team offer her a Kuniokoa woodstove. It uses less firewood, gives off less smoke, and it is easy to use. Call 0700 66 77 88 to find out how to get one for yourself.
Mama George buys firewood at Ksh 50 per day. That is Ksh 1,300 per month. With the Kuniokoa woodstove she will spend only Ksh 600 per month, saving Ksh 700 every month.
The Shamba Chef crew transformed Mama George's kitchen, making sure there is good ventilation and plenty of light. We added a new sink for washing vegetables before cooking and a formica surface for chopping and preparing vegetables.
To improve ventilation a simple cap is built to allow the rising smoke to get out. First, a narrow gap of 1 foot x 4 feet is cut into the main roof. Then a cap, or mini roof is built over the smoke slit to keep the rain out.
Inside the kitchen, an overhead rack is built to keep the firewood dry and off the ground.
Mama George learnt that eating a diverse balanced diet for herself and her baby, is the best thing for her child's future.