Entrepreneur Develops Stove Offering Safe, Low-Cost Answer to Addressing Hunger In Africa, Around the World
Yusuf Tura’s ‘Green Energy Without Borders’ Is Eco-Friendly and Create Jobs
Ethiopian entrepreneur Yusuf Tura couldn’t stand to see his African brothers and sisters battle hunger, choke on smoke from indoor fires that were polluting villages and causing severe burns.
The former taxi driver took the little money he had to spend months researching how he could manufacture a stove that would provide residents in Africa – 
and communities around the world – a more durable, safe, low cost and efficient solution to cooking their food while saving their environment at the same time.
“My dream is to save life, trees and create green jobs for people that are living on less than one dollar per day,” Tura said. “I have already done so. This project has created hundred of jobs. It’s a solution to prevent death, deforestation, protect wildlife, and fight poverty by creating jobs for locals. And, the stove costs less than two cups of Starbucks coffee.”
With the help of friends at Lake Forest Rotary Club of Seattle, Tura founded his nonprofit company Green Energy Without Borders to create the “Ten Dollar Stove”, which is made of sheet metal that currently is handcrafted by residents of his homeland. Instead of using charcoal briquettes or wood, Tura uses agricultural waste such as stalks, leaves and cobs from corn as well as of sugar canes and rice husks that can burn up to four hours. In many parts of Ethiopia, Tura says, residents have stripped the forests of trees used to burn in their stoves or build houses.
With the huge success of popular book series and movie, Hunger Games, Tura is setting out to spread the word about his development in hopes of raising money to expand the manufacturing of these sorely needed devices. “With right help there’s no reason why millions of families couldn’t benefit from these simple stove,” he said.
Tura’s like journey is fascinating. As a young boy, he was separated from his family and ended up at a Kenya refugee camp, like many Ethiopians, who found themselves in a war-torn nation. With help from the U.S. State Departma, he traveled to the United States where he worked in a cafeteria in Baltimore and drove cabs in Olympia, Washington. He befriended many local Ethiopians who inspired him to pursue his dream of inventing the stove, which he is hoping will make a difference in millions of lives.
To learn more about Green Energy Without Border, go to http://greenenergywithoutborders.org. To set up an interview with Mr. Tura, contact Neil Foote, Foote Communications, neil@neilfoote.com or 214.448.3765.
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