Environmentally friendly stoves were the prize on offer in Swaziland to winners of an artwork competition which threw up the challenge of making mats out of plastic waste.

Creators of the successful  entries were given ‘rocket stoves’ – so called  because  the stoves use small twigs rather than whole branches and the “rocket” part of the stove concentrates the heat to make them very fuel efficient. The stoves help to reduce deforestation and are very useful for rural people.  Swaziland  suffers from severe environmental challenges,  recently suffering a devastating drought and there is much erosion caused by deforestation.

The Bishop of Swaziland, Ellinah Wamukoya, launched the plastic artwork competition for the Mother’s Union (MU) with the objective of encouraging people to recycle and to reduce waste being disposed of in the environment. The Dean of All Saints Cathedral, Revd A. Dlamini, who was representing the Bishop,  awarded the stoves to nine winning parishes.

An Anglican spokesperson said: “Wonderful works of art were presented by the Mother’s Union.  The Diocese of Swaziland is grateful for the donation of the rocket stoves from the Provincial Environmental Office. The Mothers fell in love with the rocket stoves and now want to do more to encourage environmental stewardship and conserving the environment.”