Safe, Energy Efficient Cookstoves in Guatemala

2018 is winding down and we are feeling grateful for your confidence in us as we continue to do critical work.

We have learned and accomplished a lot over the past 6 years working to bring safer, more energy efficient stoves to those in need. Our solution has evolved through consistent evaluation and user feedback in Guatemala. This past year we decided to change up the stove design, partnering with Guatemalan-based stove manufacturer, Estufas Chispa, to ensure the best design for the families and schools who participate in our program. This year we also decided to prioritize improving school kitchen conditions for volunteer moms and the babies who sometimes need to accompany their moms while they cook. We did this because most school kitchens in rural Guatemala still use open fire cookstoves and suffer from the same effects as households - serious health and safety hazards as well as inefficient wood consumption. All of this can be avoided with a safer stove. 

So far in 2018, your support helped us to:

• Install 8 new stoves, designed specifically for school use.
• Create safer working conditions for more than 50 volunteer mothers. 
• Cut school kitchen wood consumption by more than half.
• Educate more than 500 students, teachers and parents about the serious effects of smoke inhalation.
• Lay a strong foundation to implement Estufas Chispa stoves in homes.

There is still time to do more this year! As you consider your end of year giving, we hope that you will help us continue our efforts to save lives and improve health and well-being of those in need. Our progress depends on your generosity. 

Every day that we are in rural Guatemalan communities we confront the reality of unsafe, open-fire cookstoves. The serious health consequences and the dangers associated with open-fire cooking are obvious in any home or school. In addition, the environmental vulnerability of communities is only getting more challenging. After years of implementing safer, more energy efficient cookstoves and educating communities - schools and families want to make a change - but we still need your help to make this happen for them!

Together, we have made a lot progress already - more than 120 families and 4 schools are breathing and cooking safely, while also cutting their wood consumption in half, but there is more to do to make this the norm. More families need assistance to make this important change. We have already identified the highest need families who are ready and willing to care for a safer, more energy efficient cookstove and we are hopeful that with your help we can make this a reality. Every stove whether in a home or a school makes a big impact. Thank you for your continued support!