From 1998 to 2000 Eritrea was at war with neighbouring Ethiopia. The war revolved around the demarcation of the border between the two countries. Eritreans living in the middle of the disputed area had to flee the cross-border fighting to what they hoped were going to be temporary tented homes near the town of Senafe.
In 2008, the displaced people were required to return to their former homes by the Eritrean government who stated that the land dispute had been settled. When this happened, IRT's focus moved from emergency relief to sustainable development.
IRT is currently not funding projects in Eritrea. However, we are planning to do so again in the future.
The improved ‘mogogo’ stove
This woman proudly shows us her new mogogo (stove). The fuel efficiency of the stove means she needs a lot less wood to keep the stove heated.A major problem in Eritrea is erosion and drought. One of the main reasons for this is the continuous cutting down of trees which are used for cooking fires. The local stove, known as the 'mogogo', has an inefficient fuel consumption which means large quantities of fire wood are needed. Furthermore, the stoves produce a lot of smoke and soot which is detrimental to the health of the women who are working around it all day long.
A more energy efficient mogogo has been designed by local Eritrean renewable energy specialist Debesai Ghebrehiwet Andegergish. Another newly build mogogo, freshly painted with matching shelves. IRT is now funding numerous stoves to be build in Eritrean households, working towards achieving the Government of the State of Eritrea’s goal to provide stoves to 70% of the population by 2015 (around 600,000 stoves). The government welcomes IRT's support in addressing Eritrea’s problems with food security.
Women around the country are being trained on how to build the mogogo stoves. They then pass on this knowledge to other women who also want to use the improved stove. The new mogogo is an great improvement to families' This woman and child no longer have to inhale smoke and soot everyday now that they have a new stove.daily lives and are therefore well looked after and often decorated them with paint and are a source of pride.
Households with the improved mogogo are halving their fuel wood needs, saving money and time for other immediate needs such as food, healthcare, and education. A staple food in the region is the pancake-like bread ‘injera’, which needs to be prepared on a stove. It illustrates how important the improved stoves are in everyday life. Many of the homes still have black ceilings from the smoke of the old stoves. With smoke no longer being an issue, we hope the health of many women will improve drastically over the few years and new cases of smoke related disease will diminish.
The Moringa tree
Women picking the leaves of their own Moringa tree. The tree has so much nutritional value that it is often referred to as 'the miracle tree'.The Moringa tree is commonly found in Asia, Africa and South America. It is an excellent source of calcium, vitamin A, B, C and E, potassium, iron, antioxidants, phytochemicals, protein, and dietary fiber. The tree's leaves contain more than three times the calcium of milk, slightly more potassium than bananas, more than twice the iron of spinach, and more than twice the vitamin C of oranges.
The Moringa tree grows fast and is well suited to dry environments, which is why it is doing so well in Eritrea. The trees serve as protection from sand storms and when planted closely together they form a natural barrier to keep grazing cattle in place.
IRT has funded the distribution of the Moringa tree to numerous villages throughout the region of Zoba Gash-Barka. So far we funded 3,000 seedlings for 1,000 beneficiaries.