Youth who have teamed up to form “Gicumbi New Vision Cooperative” in Gicumbi District are making a fortune from manufacturing modern cook stoves with a vision to set up a mega factory to save Rwanda’s forests.

The cooperative which started its operations in December last year is composed of young people from different communities who were previously jobless.

The improved cook stoves saves 50 per cent of wood or charcoal compared to the quantity used in cooking on a three-stone fireplace.

The youth have so far produced 6,700 cook stoves with a target to produce 23,400 which the district seeks to distribute to vulnerable people so as to reduce pressure on forests. Each member of the cooperative earns over Rwf200,000 per month.

Read more: The New Times