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Ambulant Food Vendors: Energy-Efficient Stove and Hygienic, Healthy Food
A Pilot Project for the Urban Entrepreneurial Poor in the Philippines

Project Beneficiaries Update

Approtech Asia provides technical assistance to 124 ambulant food vendors (AFVs) in the cities of Manila, Cebu and Davao to legalize their business. These AFVs are only a few of the more than 15,000 street food vendors who serve millions of families who depend on the street for their daily meals.

One ambulant food vendor, who used to sell potato chips along the street, started selling hygienic food in her rented stall in a commercial place in Manila. Jo's husband who used to work as contractual laborer helps her manage the eatery. She is one of the 124 vendors who completed training on food micro-business management, record keeping/bookkeeping systems installation, hygiene and sanitation, meal planning and food processing technologies, solar water disinfection (SODIS) and the use of fuel-saving and energy-efficient MABAGA charcoal stove. This project is supported by the UNDP Regional Energy Programme for Poverty Reduction (REP-PoR), Bangkok.

Marie is finalizing her plan to renovate part of the ground floor of their house for her eatery. She will be assisted by her children in the food business.

More street food vendors need assistance to move away from the streets, find a place with complete kitchen facilities, apply for business and sanitary permit and hopefully, find micro-finance partners for a low-interest, collateral-free loan to expand and diversify their food business.

The ultimate goal of the project is to remove them from the street, enhance their entrepreneurial skills, and pay legal dues as responsible citizens of the country. Eventually, they will develop self-confidence, social responsibility by serving healthy and hygienic food, and the sense of pride as a legitimate entrepreneur.

Testimonies on Mabaga Kalan

MABAGA has been proven to be energy-efficient and fuel-saving. The following are testimonials from ambulant food vendors who have already used the stove either for their business or in their household.

Nora Descalso: "Since I used the kerosene stove in cooking, I experienced numbness of my half body, but when I shifted to MABAGA charcoal stove, I never felt the numbness again. Aside from this, with kerosene stove, I got to consume PhP32.00 of kerosene for the whole day but now, I only have to spend P10.00 for the charcoal. My husband is also happy with the stove, since it is not difficult to start the flame as compared to the traditional charcoal stove."

Josephine Cruz: "Before, I was using two units of the traditional charcoal stove in cooking potato chips that I sell, but when I started using the MABAGA charcoal stove, I have to use only one unit for the same amount of food and aside from that, I got to save more than 30%. I also acquired two more units of the stove since our potato chips business is starting to grow. From 10 kilos of potatoes a day, we are now able to sell up to 20 kilos, so to be able to cope with the demand, we have to add additional stove. Another thing is, my husband and I have just realized that cooking the potato chips in the Mabaga charcoal stove is faster than cooking it in LPG stove."

Porcia Aggalut: "I saved PhP32.00 from using the MABAGA stove, as against the kerosene stove. Using the kerosene stove, I had to spend P42.00 for a liter of kerosene per day, but with the Mabaga charcoal stove, I was surprised that with P10.00 charcoal, I have finished cooking and up to five of my neighbors able to boil water for drinking."

Monife Escultor: "With MABAGA stove, I no longer worry about the smoke and heat coming out, as compared to the kerosene and traditional charcoal stoves which I used before. I can now stay long in front of the stove while cooking, unlike before. Aside from that, from PhP20.00 kerosene everyday, I only spend less than PhP10.00 daily for the charcoal. "

Concepcion De Fiesta: "I saved almost 65% for cooking fuel per week from shifting from kerosene to MABAGA charcoal stove. Before, I spend PhP100.00 per week for kerosene, but now, with MABAGA, I only spend PhP35.00. My father also improvised my stove. He looked for a cover of an old casserole to cover the top opening of the stove and found a piece of G.I. sheet that would fit the bottom opening so that if there are still charcoal left after cooking, we will just cover the stove to put the charcoal off so that we can still the charcoal left on the next cooking."