Efficient cooking leading to more jobs, healthier people and fewer emissions
Using the traditional method of cooking over an open flame exposes some women and children in southern India to the equivalent of burning 400 cigarettes per hour. These toxic fumes cause a range of respiratory issues and are estimated to contribute to approximately 500,000 premature deaths per year, in India alone.
D
trained as female entrepreneurs, providing the independence of their own income
created in land management and timber harvesting
reduced on average each year
Under this program, approximately 200,000 households have access to efficient cookstoves, preventing the emission of around 27,495 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. These stoves use less fuel and cook much faster than previous methods, while also requiring less wood fuel and thus alleviating deforestation in surrounding areas.
With this new cooking resource, families can now save time and money and focus on the care and education of their children. The programme facilitates women empowerment by training female entrepreneurs and actively involving them in the marketing and sale of cookstoves. This allows women in rural India to gain their own income, thus improving their livelihoods and social position in their communities. A local community group in Khanav village also contributes to this project by providing ethical, affordable loans to households so that the cost of a new cookstove can be repaid over several months.
