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A case study of DelAgua Health Rwanda, Tubeho Neza Project (2020-2024) in Kiyombe Sector, Nyagatare District.
A recent study by Singoma Ronald and Dr Denys Uwimpuhwe from UNILAK (University of Lay Adventists of Kigali 2020 – 2024) looks closely at the impact of rural households adopting improved cooking stoves through DelAgua’s Tubeho Neza Project. The findings are not just numbers; they reflect real changes in daily life, health, and the environment.
This study was conducted in Kiyombe Sector, one of the 14 sectors in Nyagatare district, Eastern Province, Rwanda. At the district level, the primary cooking energy sources for private households are firewood (83.6%), followed by charcoal (7.1%) and crop waste (5.6%). In Kiyombe sector, firewood is the dominant cooking energy source, used by 95% of households (NISR, 2023).
The total population of the study is 4458 individual households and beneficiaries of the Tubeho Neza project in Kiyombe sector.
For the quantitative study, the purposive sampling technique was used. A total of 367 beneficiaries of the project in the Kiyombe sector have been reached using systematic random sampling. The gender distribution of the respondents shows that 68.1% are female, while 31.9% are male. This indicates a significant female participation in the sample, which aligns with the traditional role of women as principal cooks.
For the qualitative study, the purposive sampling method was used to select beneficiaries who participated in a FGD (Focus Group Discussion). There were 16 interviewees: 12 from local officials at the cell and village level, plus 4 DelAgua staff. Additionally, 3 group discussions were conducted, each with 6 members, to capture qualitative insights from the study area.
This research recognizes the significant role of traditional cooking methods, such as the three-stone fire, in contributing to inefficiencies, deforestation, and air pollution, while highlighting the shift towards cleaner and more efficient cooking technologies.
Additionally, the study aims to understand how this transition influences energy usage, socio-economic outcomes, and environmental benefits in rural households.
Before receiving the improved stoves, a large majority of respondents (68.1%) used a traditional three-stone fire. The study shows that a significant majority of households (79.9%) have adopted the Tubeho Neza cookstove, a modern and energy-efficient cooking technology. This high adoption rate reflects a strong preference for stoves that offer greater efficiency and energy savings compared to traditional cooking methods. The substantial shift away from these technologies to the Tubeho Neza stove aligns with the household’s positive reception of improved cooking technologies (ICTs), particularly in terms of their health benefits, efficiency, and environmental impact.
The correlation results show a very strong positive correlation (R = 0.950) between Improved Cooking Stove and Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability, which is statistically significant (p = 0.000 < 0.05).
This correlation suggests that improved cooking technology plays a vital role in enhancing both socio-economic and environmental outcomes. The stronger the adoption and use of these technologies, the more likely it is that socio-economic conditions, such as savings on fuel costs, and environmental outcomes, such as reduced emissions and deforestation, will improve.
One of the first changes families notice is the fresher air. Before receiving improved cookstoves, most households reported having kitchens filled with thick smoke, which causes coughing, eye irritation, and frequent respiratory illnesses. Women and young children, who spend the most time near the fire, are the most affected.
Over 81% of respondents agreed that these clean cooking technologies have significantly reduced indoor air pollution, which is critical in enhancing household health and reducing respiratory issues.
80.4% of respondents noticed an improvement in kitchen cleanliness, which aligns with findings from various studies that highlight the benefits of cleaner cooking methods.
"Since we received the new cooking technology, Tubeho Neza stove, the air in our cooking area is much clearer, and I can already feel the difference in my family."
"The kitchen is much cleaner now, and there is no more ash to clean up every day. The given stove technologies are fabricated with parts that collect ash, ash plate, so whenever it accumulates, it's easily captured and disposed of the right place and later applied in the garden, which acts as an inorganic fertilizer."
This study also found that the adoption of improved cooking technologies has led to a noticeable reduction in deforestation and a decreased demand for firewood.
79% of respondents observed a positive environmental change, aligning with research by Johnson et al. (2021), who found that such technologies play a key role in reducing the pressure on local forests.
Many families reported spending less money on fuel and less time collecting firewood. Over three-quarters of households said they were saving money, and those savings mattered.
77.6% of respondents agreed that the new technologies helped their households save money on fuel, allowing them to redirect funds to other priorities.
80.2% of respondents reported that this reduction in time spent on fuel collection allowed them to pursue other income-generating activities, which is consistent with studies such as those by Greene and Rhyne (2019). A local entrepreneur mentioned: “Currently, people have more time to focus on my small business, thanks to the reduced time spent gathering firewood, especially women and children have got time to work on their assignments.”
"We are spending less on fuel, which has helped us afford other essential household items. Furthermore, the savings are channeled into economic activities, such as livestock farming, poultry farming, and other small businesses”
The study demonstrates that improved cooking technologies under DelAgua’s Tubeho Neza Project have a substantial positive impact on socio-economic and environmental sustainability in rural households of Kiyombe Sector, Nyagatare District. These technologies improve health by reducing respiratory problems and indoor air pollution, save time otherwise spent collecting fuel, and generate financial savings that strengthen household economic stability. Environmentally, they reduce deforestation and support climate change mitigation.
The findings further reveal that stove quality, affordability, and energy efficiency are critical drivers of sustainability outcomes. Specifically, stove quality and affordability explain 90.3% of the variation in sustainability, while clean cooking energy efficiency accounts for 89.2%. This underscores the strong correlation (R = 0.950) between the adoption of improved cooking stoves and socio-economic environmental improvement.
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