Thanks to the continued generosity of our travellers – through donations triggered by every review left for a trip with us, alongside the funding we provide directly – 2025 has been another brilliantly successful year for Project Luangwa’s Eco-Stove Project!
Working with Project Luagwa, we set an ambitious goal for this year: to build a further 1,000 fuel-efficient eco-stoves across 500 households in 2025. We’re delighted to share that earlier this month, the team reached that target in the villages around Mfuwe and Nsefu.
Alongside these new installations, the dedicated Eco-Stove Team has also revisited 572 households, repaired or renewed more than 250 existing stoves, and trained nearly 600 families in stove care and maintenance. This hands-on follow-up is vital. It’s already paying off, with the team now seeing close to 100% uptake and consistent use, ensuring the stoves deliver lasting benefits rather than short-term change.
For us, the impact goes well beyond the numbers. Each Eco-Stove uses small twigs rather than large logs, significantly reducing the smoke released inside homes. By the end of the year, the team expects the project to have reduced overall carbon emissions by approximately 2,000 tonnes. Families have also cumulatively saved an estimated 534,000 hours that would otherwise have been spent collecting firewood, benefiting around 3,660 people, predominantly women and children, who face the greatest risks from open fires and smoke-related illness.
As Project Luangwa explains: “Expert Africa’s support has been transformational not just financially, but strategically. Their flexible funding has allowed us to innovate, refine the eco-stove design, and invest in tracking and monitoring systems that help us understand real behaviour change over time. As a result, the Eco-Stove Project continues to grow stronger, more trusted, and more deeply embedded within the communities.”
During a recent follow-up visit, the Eco-Stove Team spent time with Violet, a grandmother in Molande Village in the Nsefu Chiefdom. Violet received an Eco-Stove earlier this year and, like many families in the area, had previously cooked over an open fire, filling her home with smoke and requiring long, regular trips to collect heavy firewood.
Since switching to an Eco-Stove, the difference for Violet’s household has been immediate. The family now cooks using small twigs gathered close to home, reducing both the time and physical strain involved in fuel collection: “I haven’t experienced sickness anymore. The Eco-Stove uses less wood and makes less smoke. The trees are growing again. I support protecting the forests.”
Cooking is faster, while the reduced smoke has made the kitchen a healthier, more comfortable and much safer space, particularly for Violet’s younger grandchildren, who often stay close while meals are prepared.
Follow-up visits from the Project Luangwa Stove Team have helped ensure the stove is being used correctly and maintained well. These check-ins also give households the opportunity to share feedback, which feeds directly into ongoing stove improvements. For Violet’s family, that continued support has helped build confidence and ownership, allowing the Eco-Stove to become a permanent part of daily life rather than a temporary change.
Encouragingly, stories like Violet’s are becoming increasingly common across Mfuwe and Nsefu as uptake and consistent use continue to grow. For us, this is a powerful reminder that for every eco-stove built, a family is experiencing safer cooking, better health, and a little more time and security in their day.
For £10 you can buy a Zambian family an Eco-Stove. If you’d like to help the Eco-Stove Project this Christmas, donations can be made via our JustGiving page. Every contribution helps protect woodland, improve health, and support safer, more sustainable livelihoods in South Luangwa.
