Mettmenstetten / Fianarantsoa, 28.11.2023

Sustainable anniversary: ADES workshop Mahazengy has been shaping the path to clean cooking in Madagascar for 10 years

The non-profit organisation ADES produces solar and energy-saving cookers in Madagascar and sells them to the local population at discounted prices. At the heart of the production chain is the Mahazengy factory in Fianarantsoa, where the clay cores for the energy-saving cookers are manufactured. The workshop celebrated its tenth anniversary last weekend.

For 22 years, the Swiss-Madagascan non-profit organisation ADES has been protecting nature in Madagascar and creating perspectives on poverty and rural exodus. More than 90 per cent of Madagascar's original forest has already been lost: an existential threat to the population as well as to the island's unique biodiversity. ADES uses solar and energy-saving cookers to reduce fuel consumption in one of the poorest countries in the world, where almost the entire population cooks over an open fire. The cookers are produced locally and distributed to the population at favourable conditions. In order to have a broad and sustainable impact, ADES supports cooker production with reforestation and educational measures.

The Mahazengy workshop is located in Fianarantsoa, where ADES employees produce the clay cores for the energy-saving cookers from the clay of the surrounding rice fields. Last weekend, ADES employees celebrated the anniversary over two days together with invited guests such as the Swiss ambassador Rolf Stalder, long-standing partners, authorities and journalists. In addition to the ceremonial part, sporting events and nature conservation activities were organised.

Swiss Ambassador Rolf Stalder brought official greetings to Fianarantsoa:

"...ADES plays a crucial role in improving the living conditions of Malagasy communities and has implemented innovative and sustainable projects in the fields of environment and social development. At the same time, its remarkable work has contributed to the good relations between Switzerland and Madagascar...".

Picture: Swiss Ambassador Rolf Stalder in Fianatantsoa

Press contact:
ADES solar and energy-saving cooker
André Grossen
+41 44 466 60 53
andre.grossen@ades-solaire.org

Mettmenstetten, 15.11.2023

500,000 energy-saving cookers for Madagascar

The non-profit organisation ADES produces solar and energy-saving cookers in Madagascar and sells them to the local population at discounted prices. The 500,000th ADES cooker has now reached a family in Madagascar.

For 22 years, the Swiss-Madagascan non-profit organisation ADES has been protecting nature in Madagascar and creating perspectives on poverty and rural exodus. More than 90 per cent of Madagascar's original forest has already been lost: an existential threat to the population as well as to the island's unique biodiversity. ADES uses solar and energy-saving cookers to reduce fuel consumption in one of the poorest countries in the world, where almost the entire population cooks over an open fire. The cookers are produced locally and distributed to the population at favourable conditions. In order to have a broad and sustainable impact, ADES supports cooker production with reforestation and educational measures.

ADES has reached an important milestone with its 500,000th cooker. Each of these cookers protects nature in Madagascar, improves the situation of a Malagasy family and protects the climate at the same time. ADES has created more than 250 permanent jobs, enables more than 250 independent resellers to earn an income and a further 250 or so additional jobs have been created with suppliers. Thanks to steady growth in recent years, ADES is expected to produce 100,000 cookers in 2023 alone.

Tsinaherina Sahambo, owner of the 500,000th ADES cooker, explains:

"We have been using ADES cookers for five years now. They are very practical for us and they are also good for the environment as they reduce deforestation. The cookers are economical and produce much less smoke. This also has a positive effect on our food: Our meals now taste less like smoke."

Owner of the 500,000th ADES cooker: Tsinaherina Sahambo

Press contact:
ADES solar and energy-saving cooker
André Grossen
+41 44 466 60 53
andre.grossen@ades-solaire.org

21.04.2023, Mettmenstetten / Philadelphia

ADES receives Lipman Family Prize

The Swiss NGO ADES works to protect livelihoods and social security in Madagascar. On 20 April, it was awarded the Lipman Family Prize in Pennsylvania. The prize is awarded by the University of Pennsylvania and honours pioneering and innovative organisations in the social sector. For ADES, this is the second international award within a short period of time.

On 20 April 2023, the Lipman Family Prize was awarded at the University of Pennsylvania (USA). The Swiss NGO ADES received the award as one of the three international winning organisations. The prize, awarded by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, recognises pioneering and innovative organisations from the social sector. The focus is on developing the greatest possible impact and transferability of measures. The organisation "Build Up Nepal" was chosen as the main winner. The third award-winning organisation is "Healthy Learners" from Zambia.

Award founder Barry Lipman explains: "The work of the three award-winning organisations is very different, but their quest for a just life for all is common to them. This forms the basis of human coexistence and we are inspired by their innovative models, their impact and their potential for even wider dissemination."

The main prize is USD 250,000, the other winners will each receive USD 125,000. In addition, the winning organisations will benefit from a long-term cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania and receive scholarships for courses in NGO management.

Since 2001, ADES has been working to preserve Madagascar's forests and alleviate poverty with solar and energy-saving cookers, reforestation projects and educational measures. For ADES, this means the second international award within a short period of time: In November 2021, the organisation already received the title of Organisation of the Year at the .ORG Impact Awards.

10.03.2023

ADES receives international award again!

The Swiss NGO ADES is one of the three winning organisations of the international Lipman Family Prize 2023. Also awarded are Build up Nepal and Healthy Learners in Zambia. The Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize at the University of Pennsylvania is an annual international award that recognises pioneering and innovative organisations in the social sector. The focus is on unleashing the greatest possible impact and transferability of interventions. On 20 April, the grand prize winner of the Lipman Family Prize 2023 will be announced.

Award founder Barry Lipman says: "The work of the three winning organisations is very different, but their quest for a just life for all is common to them. This is the foundation of human coexistence, and we are inspired by their innovative models, their impact and their potential for even wider dissemination."

The main prize is USD 250 000, the two other winners will each receive USD 125 000. For ADES, this means the second international award within a short period of time: the organisation already received the title of International Organisation of the Year at the .ORG Impact Awards in November 2021.

ADES has been working sustainably to preserve Madagascar's forests and alleviate poverty since 2001 with solar and energy-saving cookers, reforestation projects and educational measures.

ADES Executive Director Luc Estapé explains: "The recognition of our commitment through the Lipman Family Prize is a great acknowledgement for ADES. The prize helps us to draw more attention to the urgent problems in Madagascar and our approaches to solving them."

7 June 2022

Luc Estapé takes over management of ADES

In 2021, ADES celebrated its twentieth anniversary and was named the international .ORG organisation of the year. With the production of solar and energy-saving cookers, educational measures and reforestation, ADES raises awareness among the people of Madagascar, protects the island's threatened forest stock and creates perspectives on poverty and rural exodus. ADES is growing and was able to significantly exceed the expected figures in 2021 and achieve the growth targets set for 2025 ahead of schedule. Following the expansion of its own infrastructure, the establishment of a Malagasy management team and freshly extended contracts with key partners such as myclimate, ADES is well equipped for the future.

After four successful years, ADES Executive Director Rita Bachmann is leaving our NGO for personal reasons. She will hand over her responsibilities to Luc Estapé on the first of August 2022. The father of two children has been working for AFS Switzerland as Executive Director for the last six years. He is enthusiastic about the ADES project and aims to add a new chapter to the success story for people and nature in Madagascar.

2 November 2021

Together for climate and Madagascar

The myclimate foundation and the Swiss non-governmental organisation ADES are expanding their long-standing and successful cooperation for the reduction of CO₂ from. At the beginning of the partnership in 2008, ADES was one of the first major partner organisations of myclimate. Since then, both organisations have grown strongly and are now setting the course for sustainable climate protection in Madagascar. Within the framework of this cooperation, the two organisations aim to jointly reduce more than 2.7 million tonnes of CO₂ be avoided.

Both organisations share many common values and convictions. Effective climate protection always begins with the avoidance of emissions. Remaining emissions should be offset as an immediate measure with effective climate protection projects. With the construction of solar and energy-saving cookers in Madagascar, ADES not only effectively reduces harmful CO₂-emissions, but also provides a wide range of additional positive effects for the population in one of the poorest regions of the world with over 200 jobs, education and reforestation projects. This puts the UN guiding principle for sustainable development "Leave no one behind" into practice.

"The long-standing partnership between ADES and myclimate is a prime example of sustainable climate protection with a win-win situation for people and nature. ADES gets involved on the ground, while we win partners for climate protection and support ADES in calculating and proving the impact of their projects according to the specifications of the Gold Standard," says myclimate CEO Stephen Neff.

"The proceeds from the voluntary CO₂-Compensations from companies and private individuals are enormously important for us to be able to subsidise the energy-saving cookers in such a way that Madagascar's poor population also has access to efficient cooking methods. Each cooker reduces the need for wood or coal by 50 percent, which helps to preserve the precious natural environment," adds Herbert Blaser, President of ADES.

The following infographic shows how successful the joint cooperation is.

09.10.2021

ADES is .ORG Organisation of the Year 2021

ADES is Organisation of the Year 2021! At the .ORG Impact Awards ceremony on 9 November 2021, ADES not only won in the category "Overcoming Climate Change", but shortly afterwards also the main prize: Organisation of the Year!

Non-profit organisations worldwide use the top-level domain .ORG for their internet presence. The .ORG is administered by the Public Interest Registry (PIR) based in the USA. Every year, PIR presents the .ORG Impact Awards to organisations that stand out and make a big impact with their work. 633 organisations were nominated for the finals in seven categories. As a finalist in the category "Overcoming Climate Change", ADES was also in the running for the main prize.

PIR presented ADES with the USD 10 000 Impact Award as the winner of its category in an online event on 9 November. As if that wasn't enough, ADES also briefly won the top prize and is officially .ORG Organisation of the Year 2021! This glorious award comes with an additional prize money of 35 000 USD. The PIR explained its decision in a press release

of the Impact Awards, among other things, with this: "The work of ADES serves to protect the climate, biodiversity and health, while at the same time enabling a path out of poverty in Madagascar."

This international award is a great recognition of our work. The Impact Award confirms how efficiently and effectively we at ADES implement our vision, even with limited resources. Our work serves the protection of Madagascar's forests, but also all the inhabitants of this wonderful island. Receiving this award helps us to draw attention to the problems and solutions in Madagascar and to further expand our commitment.

24.06.2021

20 years for Madagascar

• The ADES association started in 2001 and turns 20 years old
• ADES founder Regula Ochsner hands over the presidency to Herbert Blaser
• ADES produced 50,000 solar and energy-saving cookers in 2020 alone
• This corresponds to almost 700 000 tonnes of CO2 saved
• Over 200 employees in Madagascar are given a perspective
• Children and adults benefit from educational measures
• Afforestation: over 100 000 trees to be planted in 2021

ADES founder Regula Ochsner is passing on the presidency after 20 years. Current board member Herbert Blaser was confirmed as the new president at the general meeting on 8 May 2021.

Madagascar is one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world. But this unique paradise is in danger. Around 90 percent of the forests have already been lost. Moreover, Madagascar is considered one of the least developed nations in the world. The Corona crisis has hit the country hard and a catastrophic famine is rampant in the poor south of the country. In this environment, ADES has been offering prospects for 20 years.

The ADES association has been producing energy-efficient cookers since 2001 and supports people in Madagascar in protecting the forest and the climate. The solar and energy-saving cookers are produced in the association's own workshops by more than 200 employees. ADES cooking solutions make it possible to reduce fuel consumption by 50 to 70 percent. Each cooker reduces CO₂-emissions by about 3 tonnes annually. This enables Malagasy households to make substantial financial savings, improves their health situation by eliminating smoke emissions and at the same time counteracts the progressive loss of forests in Madagascar.

Production on site

ADES produces and sells up to 50,000 solar and energy-saving cookers annually. Eight centres are located all over the island. The cooker production is accompanied by reforestation, education and awareness-raising projects. For every cooker sold, ADES plants two trees, well over 100,000 this year alone. To enable Madagascar's poor population to benefit from energy-efficient cookers, they are sold at heavily discounted prices. To save Madagascar's forests from disappearing, ADES has ambitious growth targets. By 2025, the association wants to increase production and sales to 70 000 units and significantly expand reforestation and education.

Interview with the new president of the association Herbert Blaser

 Who is Herbert Blaser?
I am married, have two grown-up children and live in Adliswil. I am still fully employed and work for u-blox in Thalwil, where I manage a product division as an engineer and business economist. Outside of work, you can find me a lot in nature and doing sports, or with nice people over a meal.

On 8 May, you were elected President of ADES. How did your path lead you to Madagascar and ADES and why did you decide to make yourself available for the office of president of the association?
About 10 years ago I was able to set up a sustainability programme for u-blox and was looking for suitable projects. I remembered an impressive cooking demo with the ADES parabolic cooker in front of the Globus in Zurich and contacted Regula. She got our company as a long-time sponsor and me as a volunteer that afternoon. Four years ago I was invited to join the board and got to know and appreciate ADES much better. Two intensive trips to Madagascar strengthened my idea that ADES has a very important mission. Since our children have moved out in the meantime, I now have more time to also give something back to the society and have taken over the presidency from Regula.

ADES can look back on a twenty-year success story. Where do you currently see the biggest challenges and opportunities?
For me, ADES is a sustainable lighthouse project because the donations are used extremely efficiently. For every franc donated, two francs flow to Madagascar thanks to the sale of CO2 certificates. ADES has grown strongly in terms of personnel in recent years and is at a point where structures and processes should be adapted in such a way that further growth is possible. If we succeed in selling more cookers, sensitising more children and planting more trees with the available funds, this will benefit Madagascar.

In which area would you like to set new accents as president?
During my various visits to ADES in Madagascar, I met some, mostly younger, staff members who give me hope: they are well educated, recognise the problems in Madagascar and are willing to work for a better future. We want to promote and challenge local leaders more.

What do you wish for ADES and the country of Madagascar?
I hope that ADES will be able to sell CO2 certificates for many years to come. Every OLI cooker sold saves several tonnes of wood a year and gives us financial resources to invest in other projects like solar energy, education and reforestation. If we do our job well, we will create many more jobs and can do our part to ensure that the beautiful nature continues.