LiU’s welded stoves bring warmth to Ukraine

The idea first came from the company Väderstad, that have employees in Ukraine. Something had to be done to prevent people from freezing to death. Morgan Collin was among the first to begin drawing and constructing robust but efficient stoves that are also easy to transport to war-torn Ukraine.

Morgan Collin from Väderstad Photo credit Magnus Johansson “It takes half an hour to weld the stove together, once you get the hang of it. And it weighs only 20 kilos, so in theory it could be sent by post. So far, we’ve finished 150 stoves and are planning to send 700 in total,” says a delighted Morgan Collin, standing on a workshop floor at LiU overlooking the result of the idea that he and his colleagues at Väderstad came up with.

The initiative drew a lot of interest and sponsors got in touch, wanting to help. The student association running the M workshop at LiU also wanted to contribute. Its just over 20 members invited others to weld stoves for Ukraine, and in the afternoon students had lined up in numbers at the three stations to have a go.

Michael Gilbert and Nils Olsson Thun Photo credit Magnus Johansson “Those of us who hang out in the M workshop appreciate the chance to get some practice in with all the theory we normally study. We saw what Väderstad were doing, and now we’re here welding. This is something we’ve never done before, and it’s hands-on and exciting,” say Michael Gilbert and Nils Olsson Thun after having finished welding.

The M workshop is counting on sending some 30 stoves in a transport on 15 December. This means that they will be able to spread their warmth before Christmas. And many servings of traditional Ukrainian Christmas food will be cooked on these stoves, in trenches and in bomb shelters.