The Joco Justa improved stove To cook in the rural communities, every household uses wood and builds a traditional fire. For 6-8 hours everyday (beans take a long time), women breath in the burning wood, trapped within the mud walls of their kitchen. You won't be surprised when I tell you that lung problems are the leading health issues of people in the communities.
Gas and electric stoves are not yet alternatives. However a stove that still uses wood can be an enormous improvement if it one, reduces the amount of smoke emitted, and two, uses less wood. Using less wood is an obvious boon to the local environment, as trees get cut down daily to fuel the ongoing cooking needs of households.
AsoFenix specializes in two "improved cookstoves" or cocinas mejoradas and has been building them in rural households for years. Using cement and some metal components, the resulting constructed stove reduces on average 70% of the emitted smoke and uses 65% less wood! Including material costs, a skilled laborer, and transportation, the stove costs about $130-$150 to build, however AsoFenix offers it to most households for a subsidized cost. In the end, most families pay about $40 (1,000 cordoba) and can pay it over a year, making the stove accessible to most families.
As part of the overall plan of improving lives in El Bálsamo, AsoFenix is encouraging families to replace their current stoves with improved ones. Most current stoves are a pile of rocks or some molded mud, that surround the wood and allow a pot to be placed above. To promote the improved cookstoves, we held a Fair in the community and offered families the chance to see four stove models and see get more information on their benefits. We encouraged participation through music, activities, a special snack, arroz con leche, and discounted prices.
Gas and electric stoves are not yet alternatives. However a stove that still uses wood can be an enormous improvement if it one, reduces the amount of smoke emitted, and two, uses less wood. Using less wood is an obvious boon to the local environment, as trees get cut down daily to fuel the ongoing cooking needs of households.
AsoFenix specializes in two "improved cookstoves" or cocinas mejoradas and has been building them in rural households for years. Using cement and some metal components, the resulting constructed stove reduces on average 70% of the emitted smoke and uses 65% less wood! Including material costs, a skilled laborer, and transportation, the stove costs about $130-$150 to build, however AsoFenix offers it to most households for a subsidized cost. In the end, most families pay about $40 (1,000 cordoba) and can pay it over a year, making the stove accessible to most families.
As part of the overall plan of improving lives in El Bálsamo, AsoFenix is encouraging families to replace their current stoves with improved ones. Most current stoves are a pile of rocks or some molded mud, that surround the wood and allow a pot to be placed above. To promote the improved cookstoves, we held a Fair in the community and offered families the chance to see four stove models and see get more information on their benefits. We encouraged participation through music, activities, a special snack, arroz con leche, and discounted prices.
A few women getting a close look at the Onil model Women are 100% responsible for cooking and their participation was most important. In groups, women went between 3 households to see the new stoves, which had been built ahead of time. The host women did an amazing job of showcasing their stoves, pointing out that they wouldn't be able to be meeting in a kitchen with a traditional stove; they'd all be coughing and crying from the smoke. One of the host women, Eucebia, asked the crowd for the time as she started a pot of rice and showed everyone it took just a few minutes to boil and some 14 minutes to cook the rice, far less than the minimum 30 minutes over wood alone. With years of coughing and crying from breathing in overwhelming cook smoke, in addition to the affordable costs and appealing choices, many women were ready to sign up right away for new stoves. Construction of the stoves will begin next week!
Having fun. A super important part of any work, we believe.
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