The GoClimate community has recently added a new project to the roster – clean-burning stoves in Kenya! Not only does this initiative contribute to cutting emissions, but it also creates a healthy environment for cooking food. Families in rural Kenya traditionally use three-stone open-fire stoves for cooking. Apart from creating harmful smoke that leads to respiratory problems, this cooking method relies on gathering wood from nearby forests, which is both time-consuming and degrades the forest over time. Yet, many Kenyan families cannot afford to purchase fuel-efficient stoves – and as fuelwood is largely collected for free, there is no incentive to either.
A sustainable business model
This project distributes affordable, durable and energy-efficient cookstoves to families across Kenya. The cookstoves reduce the amount of fuel needed by almost 40%. As well as producing nearly 100,000 stoves per year at a site near Nairobi, the project develops local market channels and supports affiliate companies to create sustainable distribution networks of cookstoves that are adapted to local needs. Over 60% of people involved in sales, manufacturing and distribution are women, allowing the project to create opportunities in a typically male-dominated environment. Each stove has a serial number which is scanned and assigned to a customer so sales can be recorded in a transparent and continuous way.
Increased life quality for women and children
On top of cutting emissions and reducing pressure on forests, the cookstoves significantly ease the lives of women and children who are primarily responsible for cooking and collecting fuel. In fact, the type of locally-made stove distributed by the project is ranked in a study by UC Berkeley and the University of Chicago as the best household investment in Kenya.
The Global Sustainability Goals
This project contributes to the following Global Sustainability Goals; 1 (no poverty), 3 (good health & wellbeing), 5 (gender equality), 7 (affordable and clean energy), 8 (decent work and economic growth), 13 (climate action) and 15 (life on land).
