MWANZA: A FRESH push to accelerate the uptake of clean cooking energy is gathering momentum in Mwanza Region, with health workers in Kwimba District emerging as unlikely but strategic champions of the transition from charcoal and firewood to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
A total of 167 large Oryx gas cylinders and cookers were distributed to health sector employees in Kwimba over the weekend, alongside training on safe and proper usage.
The initiative was unveiled during the launch of a modern neonatal care unit for premature babies, constructed through a partnership between the Doris Mollel Foundation and Keep a Child Alive.
Speaking on behalf of Oryx Gas Tanzania Managing Director Benoit Araman, the company’s Training Manager, Mr Peter Ndomba, said the distribution forms part of a fouryear partnership with the Doris Mollel Foundation aimed at supporting neonatal health while advancing clean cooking solutions nationwide.
He noted that health workers occupy a critical position in society, as they are often the first point of contact for patients suffering from respiratory and eye complications linked to indoor air pollution.
“We recognise that health professionals are educated, trusted and influential. They are well placed to guide communities on the dangers of smoke from firewood and charcoal and the benefits of clean cooking energy,” Ndomba said.
The intervention reflects a growing realisation that Tanzania’s clean energy transition cannot rely solely on policy pronouncements, but must also harness credible community voices.
By equipping health workers with both equipment and technical knowledge, stakeholders hope to convert them into grassroots ambassadors for behavioural change.
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Health workers in Kwimba welcomed the support, describing it as both practical and transformative.
Dr Makore Maro said the switch to gas would reduce time spent preparing meals, enabling staff to focus more on patient care.
He also stressed that LPG use would cut reliance on firewood and charcoal, thereby helping to curb environmental degradation.
Ms Maria Sakimu, Matron of the maternity ward at Kwimba District Hospital, said the training had dispelled long held misconceptions about gas safety and affordability.
Similarly, Nurse-in-Charge Christian Mvula acknowledged that access to large cylinders would end frequent struggles to source firewood during the rainy season.
For Nurse Officer Salome Malale, who has used gas for 15 years, the training deepened her understanding of its health advantages.
She said many patients treated for lung and eye complications had long relied on smoky fuels. With momentum building, Oryx Gas Tanzania says it plans to expand similar programmes to schools and other institutions, signalling that the