Solar Cookers for Namzi Tibetans in Sichuan

Book cover
The Australian Embassy in Beijing provided 36,400RMB that, with a local contribution of 5,000RMB, provided a total of 41,400RMB that allowed for the purchase of 88 solar cookers (for 88 households; 466 villagers) in Dajia Village, He'ai Tibetan Autonomous Township, Mianning County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, PR China. Dajia villagers use inefficient, polluting energy sourcesâanimal dung, wood, and coal for fuel. The implications of such on the health and safety of family members, particularly very young children and women and girls, is so serious that indoor air pollution is now rated by the World Health Organization as the second most dangerous environmental health risk in rural areas (after dirty water and poor sanitation). These solar cookers have lessened this health risk for 466 impoverished villagers and, in addition, have reduced the collection of organic materials, benefitting the local environment. The cookers are now being used to boil (sunlight permitting), five kettles of water a day; it takes twenty minutes to boil a kettle of water. Villagers estimate that they spent, before obtaining the cookers, at least three hours daily collecting fuel, and another hour to build a fire and boil water. Food is also cooked on the cookers. In total, the cookers have much reduced the time villages spend on fuel collection, fire-building, and in smoky kitchens. It should also be pointed out that the recipients have a special significance: eighty-three recipient households are Namzi and five are Han. The Namzi, though classified as Tibetan, speak a very endangered Qiangic language (currently spoken by 4,000 people only), and have a unique oral history and culture. It is especially significant that the Australian Embassy was able to assist this group of Tibetans (see http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/afs/pdf/a1605.pdf for more on the Namzi).
add to favoritesadd

Users who have this book

Users who want this book

What readers are saying

What do you think? Write your own comment on this book!

write a comment

What do you think? Write your own comment on this book

Info about the book

Author:

Series:

Unknown

ISBN:

1463799039

Rating:

4.5/5 (2)

Your rating:

0/5

Languge:

English

Other books by this author

Do you want to read a book that interests you? It’s EASY!

Create an account and send a request for reading to other users on the Webpage of the book!