Mud Stoves... Encore!!

Check out what this woman did with her mud stoves, she has pieces them together so that she can have 4 pots cooking at the same time. I asked how much wood she now uses it was between 8 and 11 and now she only uses 3, the stoves that are slightly a different color are newer models she said that the orginial stove didnt burn the wood as well as she would have liked so she made little chimneys in the back of the new stove and made the place you put the pot a circle instead of U shape, she said that its more stable when she cooks.

This little rascal is named Claude, hes quite possibly one of my faveorite children in Benin. This kid runs around like a maniac and always has this shit eating grin on his face he is into everything, including mud stoves. Everything that adults do he wants to do. So when I had the mud stove workshop at his house he was building mud stoves along side the adults. If you look in the picture next to the smallest stove with a tiny pot on it is a very little mud stove, Claude made that one.

So I was invited to go to the house of a friend, the one who has these mud stoves today I thought Ill only be there for like 15 minutes tops, no problem. So I bike over there she shows me her new mud stoves which she had made improvements to, good job I really hope they work out for her Ive encouraged my women to expirement with their mud stoves if they think that theres a way to improve them than they should try it as they dont cost any money, and they are really easy to make. I told them so what if their expirement doesnt work they tear it down and make another one. So I go over there and she says to me, I dont have a lot of money right now blah blah blah, I honestly cant give her any she asked to wash my clothes, she asked if there was any work for her at my house, I wouldnt mind giving her work I just have a problem just giving her money. Ive been racking my brain as to what I can get her to do I might get her to burn my garbage or wash my dishes, not the most environmental thing I can get her to do but she needs money to feed her kids her husband is traveling and theirfore not bringing in any money, and her normal job of cleaning house at a friend of mines is currently on hold as the friend is traveling as well. So Im thinking of what I can get her to do while shes leading to me to another womens house who just made a mud stove, after looking at this other womans mud stove Elizabeth, the woman who has the mud stoves at her house, invites me inside and feeds me. This woman who really doesnt have a lot who is begging me for money gives me food and says to me Im sorry there is no money for meat or fish just rice and sauce. I tell her that this is ok for me. This is just one example of Beninese generosity. They are on the verge of not having enough to feed their families but to show you respect they feed you. I honestly ate breakfast just before going over there but I ate about half of the HUGE plate of rice and sauce she gave me to show her that I was happy to eat with her. Even though I definately do not need food I can cook for myself and I certainly have enough money to buy my own food, I think it made her happy that I ate with her and I told her that her food was good. I will have to find some work for her to do around my house maybe she can help me do mud stove workshops...