In the morning, we went to one of the Village Executive officers, introduced ourselves and received permission to be in the village. The government seemed excited about the stove and water projects in general.
After our meeting, we had a brainstorming session with Zach with the goal of coming up with a good design for the knobs of the stoves that allows ugali to be cooked. Ugali is a very starchy food and Tanzanian staple, made from cassava flour, that requires a great deal of stirring. Our stove needs be capable of withstanding this intense stirring without the pot slipping or spilling.
We also visited two households that had rocket stoves and did efficiency tests at both locations. We were reminded that teaching people how to use the stoves properly (especially using small sticks and allowing sufficient airspace between the pot and flame) is critical to the success of the project.
In the evening, we spent some quality time with the village kids by the lake, enduring several “What is my name?” questions that were impossible to answer until we realized they were asking what our names were, not testing us. After the kids disappeared into the night, we did some more logistical planning and watched a sapphire-red moon disappear in what we believed to be a lunar eclipse.
-Ryan
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