We are cooking with the sun

In the pictures you see the first solar cookers waiting in the capital of Antananarivo to be taken to the school in our villages. Dr. Ihanta's, Zahana founder's grandson, is diligently inspecting the new strange boxes in the hallway and they find his approval. All we need now is the end of the rainy season that makes the roads to the villages passable again, so the solar cookers can reach their final destination.

• See the solar cookers in the schools

We anticipate that in the dry season, or any sunny day for that matter, the solar cookers can be used by the teachers and their students. Solar cookers are ideal to cook rice and soup for the school meals.

These solar cookers are entirely built in Madagascar by local craftsman, through the community benefit organization ADES (Association pour le Développement de l'Energie Solaire). These sturdy “box cookers” are built to last for years of continuous use. A Zahana representative spent a few days with ADES participating in their solar cooker training and brought these solar cooker boxes back as his “luggage”. We are very excited about this new collaboration and hope to work with ADES for years to come, benefiting from their experience in the south of the country for over a decade.