Nikwax was approached last year by TchadSolaire, an NGO working to improve the lives of Darfurian refugees in the Chadian desert. The growing refugee camps and the need for cooking fuel has put pressure on the surrounding ecosystem and women leaving the camps in search of wood risk being attacked and raped. The NGO provides refugees and local people with simple but effective solar cookers. Not only do the cookers mean women can feed their families without risking their safety collecting firewood, it also protects the local environment as scrubland is not being destroyed to fuel fires.
These solar cookers are simply made from cardboard and aluminium foil and moisture from spillages and condensation was reducing the lifetime of the cookers. The charity approached Nikwax asking if they could advise on a waterproofing solution. Nikwax has gone one step further and invested time and money developing a new solar cooker waterproofing product. It’s already been delivered FREE to the refugee camps to help waterproof the solar cookers. The unique waterproofing formulation can more than double the lifetime of the cookers and reduce the amount of replacement stoves required.
Nikwax founder, Nick Brown said, “TchadSolaire is doing an amazing job helping to make a real, and lasting, difference to the lives of the Sudanese refugees and we are only too pleased to help. We will continue to help them to waterproof their solar cookers for as long as they need.”