Smokeless Stove Project
Our improved cookstove model has a chimney that channels smoke outside of the living space resulting in less smoke in the home.
Her Next Birthday If a child does not make it to her next birthday then all of our other plans for her . . . education, job training skills, and self-empowerment have no relevance.
During the past 15 years of working with rural village children in southern India as a volunteer, I have observed that health impacts childrens' lives first and often poor health deprives them of the chance to go to school, develop physically and mentally and often snuffs out life itself.
The smokeless stove project addresses the root cause of one of the most debilitating health issues for children all around the globe where impoverished living conditions exist. Inhalation of smoke from daily cooking in the home without ventilation, can link to upper respiratory infection, which left untreated can be fatal, ranking as the highest rate of child mortality known.
Globally, 4.3 million people a year die prematurely from illness attributable to household air pollution caused by the inefficient use of solid fuels for cooking (World Health Organization, 2012).
In India, 800 million people are affected by household air pollution and 1 million people die annually (Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves).
The good news is that we have a solution that is more than a bandaid and deals directly with the cause of the smoke. We offer a new and improved model of cookstove that is designed and made locally that includes a chimney for proper ventilation of smoke outside the living space. It is now available with our project. The cost is $35 per installation.
What is different about our stove from others on the market? Women love it, because it does not change the way they cook. They feel healthier and do not suffer from the many side effects of continuous inhalation of smoke. They can cook inside the house. Who wants to cook in the yard?
Our focus is health, education and environment.
They are linked together with every critical health issue that impacts children and their families. We believe in holistic community development and endeavor to understand the relationships between these factors. Smokeless stoves are a good example of the 3 components working together. Education during implementation of each stove for the woman of the household is essential to success. When families and communities live in toxic smoke filled environments, we cannot save their children or their health without intervention of an improved chula.
Children come first.
Ann Peck, Executive Director
Our project supports:
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resourcing and deliverying of materials to individual families
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assessment of ventilation issues in the structure of the home
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installation of improved chulas/clay stoves with chimneys
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education for the whole family about how to use the stove and clean the chimney
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community follow up visits by the installer to check proper use, and changes in health
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subsidized installations for families unable to purchase the full installation package
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participation of each family by donating cost of the stove and a half day of labor assisting the installer
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village training seminars on site and in local schools
How did we come up with this idea? The credit goes to Amish Parashar of Dartmouth College who shared the problem with Ann Peck at a Diwali celebration. Because Ann was working with small children as a volunteer with creches in India, she took it to heart, knowing that it affected almost everyone she had met in those rural settings.
The idea got rolling as more Dartmouth students came to India to test their theories and design ideas. Hard hands on research, witnessing the problem first hand and innovative experimentation produced spectacular results.
A new stove.
Bhubaneshwari stands in front of her new cookstove.
This family is waiting for a stove.
