Project Report
| Aug 12, 2019
Every Stove Matters
By Kimberly Lagomarsino | Director of Programs, Latin America
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In our last update, we were working to install 30 brand new Safe, Energy Efficient Stoves for high-need families in Guatemala. The excitement as we introduced this new home stove was palpable in the communities and inspired many local helpers. Together with families, volunteers and community members we were able to successfully accomplish this big delivery and after nearly 3 months, we can happily report that:
- 130 direct beneficiaries, nearly half of which are children, are breathing cleaner air inside their homes and are safe from the serious harm of continuous smoke inhalation.
- All of the stoves installed are still fully operating and safely cooking up delicious Guatemalan tortillas, rice, beans and so much more.
- Beneficiary feedback is overwhelmingly positive.
- Many indirect beneficiaries - neighbors, friends, and family members are sharing in the benefits of these stoves and learning about this alternative to traditional open-fire cooking.
We are so thankful to all of the support that continues to help us reach more families in need. Sustainably addressing the most critical health concerns facing rural Guatemalans is an important part of our mission. Every stove matters and takes us one step closer towards better health for families and children. Please spread the word and stay tuned for more updates!
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May 14, 2019
30 stoves on the way!
By Kimberly Lagomarsino | Director of Programs, Latin America
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Our HRI team, volunteers and beneficiary families are working together to deliver and install 30 new Safe, Energy Efficient Cookstoves right now! They are using all their effort to move these stoves up mountains to remote, difficult to access communities where families live in extreme poverty and isolation.
These stoves continue our mission to combat chronic respiratory illness, frequent burn injury and unsustainable deforestation caused by dangerous and inefficient open fire cookstoves that are common in rural Guatemala. We are excited to continue our work with Estufas Chispa and educate families on maximizing the benefits and lifespan of their cookstoves.
By the end of the week, 30 families will not only have a brand new stove with a chimney in their homes – they will be breathing clean air and using significantly less firewood. We also anticipate significant long-term positive impact on the health and well-being of communities, families and especially mothers and young children who spend the majority of their day in the home.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. We look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks.
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Feb 11, 2019
Shifting Focus Back to Homes
By Kimberly Lagomarsino | Director of Programs, Latin America
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It's a new year and we have hit the ground running working to make more Safe, Energy Efficient Cookstoves a reality for families in Guatemala.
Last year we focused our stove efforts on schools. You helped us to ensure that schools participating in HRI school feeding programs had proper stoves to more safely and efficiently cook for large numbers of children every day. We were able to accomplish this by introducing a stove design from Estufas Chispa and we had overwhelmingly positive feedback and excitement for these stoves from local moms volunteering in the school kitchens. This year we are shifting our focus back to homes. Families will now benefit from Estufas Chispa wood-fueled cookstoves, specifically built for the Guatemalan home setting.
Thanks to your generosity, Stefani is already helping us to test the Estufas Chispa home stove model in her home. Stefani is the mom of young children who spend most of their day in the home and she understands the importance of making a change for her their current and future health. It took her no time to start using her new stove like a pro and there is absolutely no excess smoke in her home now! We are thrilled to have her regular feedback on the functionality, the efficiency, the taste of the food and much more as we gear up to install more stoves for families like hers.
We are preparing for a big year of progress delivering more stoves to families in need and helping to make homes safer, healthier places to live and grow. YOU are an integral part of our success. We appreciate your first-time or continued support of this work to improve the situation for more families just like Stefani's.
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