Fuel Efficient Cookstoves
Every year, 4 million people die of health issues related to open fire cooking.
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70% of chronic disease in Latin America are directly related to inhaling indoor air pollution.
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Indoor air pollution is a leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 years old.
Our Approach
Before We Began
The Impulso Project works with local organizations and community leaders in identifying families whose health has most significantly been impacted by the use of open fires for both cooking and heating. This generally refers to those who are suffering from upper respiratory illnesses.
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Implementation
TIP uses the Ecocina stove which was designed by Guatemalan Marco Tulio Guerra. The Ecocina allows for a 60% reduction in wood consumption when compared to an open fire traditional stove. All stoves are manufactured with locally sourced materials that can be easily and affordably purchased. TIP purchases the stove directly from Marco Tulio Guerra and delivers them free of charge to families in rural Guatemala. Each family is asked to have one family member attend a workshop where they are educated on the health advantages of using the Ecocina, provided detailed instructions on the use and maintenance of the stove and provided information on the ways in which the stoves enable families to continue to prepare traditional dishes. TIP also asks that a family member attend a series of workshop on proper nutrition. These programs are taught in village community centers.
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Follow Up
After designing his initial stove, Marco Tulio Guerra was able to expand the number of stoves he built and has now established the EcoComal Factory. The Ecocina stove is built in this factory, outside of San Felipe, Guatemala. The Impulso Project ensures that families are provided with assistance directly from the EcoComal Factory. The Ecocina stove is simple and efficient in design and to date, none of the stoves we have installed have required repair or replacement.
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What Makes Our Fuel Efficient Stoves so Great!
Our stoves reduce smoke emissions by 80% when compared to traditional open fire cooking and decreases wood usage by 50%. Unlike open fire cooking on a traditional comal stove, the body of the Ecocina holds and maintains the heat. Wood burns more slowly, requiring less wood per meal and provides for higher cooking temperatures, ultimately leading to shorter cooking times. The Ecocina burns more efficiently which reduces indoor air pollution, the major cause of upper respiratory illnesses. The Ecocina enables families to maintain traditional cooking methods.
Why Do We Work With Local Partners?
We believe the best way to help a community is to work with the community. Their ideas and inputs are what makes us a sustainable organization. It is important that we invest our resources into the community, ultimately stimulating the local economy, as well.
In rural areas of Guatemala and Peru, women and children often bear the responsibility of completing domestic chores, including preparing meals, while the men in the family earn a living. Due to gender relationships that often pose risks to their physical safety when alone and outside of the home, women and children usually elect to cook inside over an open fire.
With a lack of proper ventilation, dark, black smoke that is emitted by the fire becomes trapped inside the home. Inhaling these harmful particles from open fire cooking directly increases one’s risk for respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, pneumonia, and lung disease, as well as contributes to vision impairment and burns.
Because open fires do not have a mechanism to trap heat the way fuel efficient stoves do, 5 times as much wood is required for each meal. This translates to multiple hours of the day being allocated to collecting large amounts of firewood - a task that often falls on the daughters of the family. The average female walks 3 hours per day retrieving firewood for her family, forcing her to sacrifice a formal education.
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The Dangers of Open Fire Cooking
