In conjunction with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Food Programme (WFP), WorldStove is working on a pilot project to introduce these stoves for household use in temporary settlements, says the UN release.
For many of the families, this will be the first time they are able to prepare their own food since the earthquake. This project will provide important information on how best to introduce and scale the use of efficient stoves in the recovery efforts for affected populations, and throughout Haiti. Efficient stoves can provide the expected heat output with less fuel, easing the financial strains on individual families and the overuse of wood-based charcoal. Additionally, this technology has significantly lower emissions compared to cooking over an open fire. With widespread use, the technology of efficient cook stoves can provide a safer cooking environment and lower the demand for fuel at the household level.
WorldStove' s stoves provide other environmental advantages such as biochar which can be used to sequester carbon, build low cost latrines, improve soil fertility and aid reforestation efforts, says the UN release.
"WorldStove is committed to building a manufacturing facility for high efficiency stoves in Haiti. This facility will create jobs, offer clean technologies with multiple social impacts, and promote sustainable development."
In an article in Huffington Post, Kelpie Wilson, Communications editor for the International Biochar Initiative, says WorldStove founder Nathaniel Mulcahy "considers it a matter of respect not only to offer a clean, efficient stove to the world's poor, but to make sure that the stove is adapted to people's needs and not the other way around. WorldStove pilot projects in several African countries, Indonesia, and the Philippines have encountered all manner of local conditions that have required changes in the stove setup or manufacturing techniques.
The adaptability of the Lucia stove faced its greatest test in Haiti this winter where Mulcahy carried out a WorldStove Pilot Program in the short space of two months. He not only redesigned the stove to be produced with available tools and materials, but he completed a camp survey. The fact that since the quake more children have been forced to take responsibility for cooking made safety a top priority, so Mulcahy developed a Haitian specific pot stand with heat-shield and windscreen to accommodate the wide variety of pots used in Haiti and protect children from burns. "
PHOTO: Children have taken on more cooking responsibilities since the earthquake. Photo Credit: World Stove
