By Kimberly Lagomarsino | Senior Program Officer
Can you imagine a large open fire burning in the middle of your home nearly all day, every day?
Try to picture the smoke, the ash, the heat, and the smell that would permeate every inch of your home and all of your belongings - and hardly any relief for your lungs. Try to imagine spending hours of each day going long stretches on foot to fetch water and wood and then carrying large loads on top of your head up and down hillsides back to your home.
This is only part of the harsh reality that impoverished families face in the rural dry-corridor of Guatemala - but the health, economic and environmental consequences are so significant it compounds every aspect of life. It is for this reason that HRI developed it's extremely successful Safe, Energy Efficient Stove Program more than 2 and a half years ago. Through education and an improved stove design that maintains important cultural traditions - we have been able to reduce illness, injury and gradual deforestation, while alleviating time and economic burdens for families.
One-by-one these new stoves have improved the well-being and quality of life for more than 100 families. However, we work with many families who still grapple with the challenges of the existing stoves. Visiting these small homes with walls and roofs blackened with soot and the air filled with the heaviness of smoke and ash - drives our on-going effort to reach more families in need. This year our goal is to construct at least 50 new stoves, but we need your help spreading the word. Together we can save lives and trees and help to create a better future for families.
Thank you for your continued support of our Safe, Energy Efficient Stoves!
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By Rachel Zelon | Executive Director
By Rachel Zelon | Executive Director
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