[Stoves] Extension of Improved Stoves

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear CV

I wonder if you could describe the 'philosophy' behind the technologies you 
have tried so far?

It seems that your experience is similar to many stove programmes that have 
been implemented over the past 25 years.

Can it be that what the customer wants is not what the 'technologist' has 
been supplying?

I find that people , when choosing a technology on behalf of others, select 
what they think the other person 'should have'.  I often see things I would 
call 'chewing gum and baling wire' technologies which sort of work for a 
while and quickly fail.  In my experience people want durable products.  The 
world of AT is not famous for that, but the private sector is.

Surprisingly, the private sector makes better products not because they know 
more, but they only make money when they sell something so there is a drive 
to produce better products that is not dependent on assumptions about how 
poor people are or how hard they will work or how much time they have 
available to do things (like prepare fuel, for example).

Thus I am wondering if the philosophy behind the stoves that have not worked 
can be a guide to what we should be thinking as we move forward to 
sustainability.

Best regards
Crispin
New Dawn Engineering
Swaziland
www.newdawnengineering.com