There are two notable aspects of the Darfur Stoves Project. First, the compulsion for the project arose from the outcome of conflict. While Darfuris in IDP camps receive food aid and cooking oil from a variety of humanitarian aid organizations, the families are still responsible for gathering firewood as fuel for cooking. Although Darfur is almost entirely desert, scattered trees exist in the periphery of the camps. These trees and their branches are used as a nearby source for cooking fuel. However, due to the size of the displaced persons camps and the duration of their existence, wood is a scarce resource. As the environment around the camps become increasingly deforested, the time needed to gather firewood increases. Today, Darfuri women must walk up to seven hours, three to five times per week, just to find a single tree. As continuing pressure is placed on the environment, women and young girls must walk further and further from the relative safety of the camps in search of wood. These searches are the primary reason women and girls venture outside the camps.
When women and girls spend extensive time outside of the camps, they become increasingly vulnerable to acts of violence. As these events become more common, some women have decided to purchase wood from a middleman rather than search for it. However, as payment for the firewood, families are often forced to sell their food rations or spend what little income they possess. The economic and social costs of firewood mean that as many as half of Darfur families in displaced persons camps miss at least one meal per week. The search for firewood decreases both the human security and food security of Darfuri displaced persons.
The majority of women in Darfur’s IDP camps cook with a traditional three-stone fire. This system requires four times the firewood needed to fuel a Berkeley-Darfur Stove®. Thus, the Berkeley-Darfur Stove® increases the efficiency of fuel use and lowers the amount of wood needed to cook any given meal.
The Berkeley-Darfur Stove® was designed in consultation with Darfuri women and built to the specifications of their needs. Design features of the Berkeley-Darfur Stove take into consideration types of meals cooked, the size and shape of local pots, frequency of use, and more.
In a recent interview to Triple Pundit, Andree Sosler, Executive Director of the Darfur Stoves Project says, "Giving something away for free is a disservice to the people who need it. This philosophy stems from the importance of establishing a feedback mechanism."
Excerpts from the Interview in Triple Pundit, The Darfur Stoves Project: A Market Solution to Poverty:
3p: The Darfur Stoves Project is just one enterprise led by TISS, independent of USAID but created in collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley lab?
Sosler: OFDA/USAID introduced the Lawrence Berkeley team to CHF International, the initial partner for the project. The team advised CHF and trained their staff to test and adapt the stoves, etc. However, after sending a team to Darfur, and benefiting from analysis from business schools, we found that we could lower production costs, increase capacity and improve quality consistency by shifting our manufacturing to India. Fundamentally, it was a question of heightened comparative advantage. While some firms mass-produce stoves to turn a profit and others focus on generating local income and keep their production local, TISS works with the Lawrence Berkeley lab and our current field partner, Oxfam America to incorporate the strongest aspects of both models.
3p: The Darfur-Berkeley stove is for sale, not for aid donation. Can you expand on the value associated with an item bought versus donated?
Sosler: One of the things that drew me to the Darfur Stoves Project was the very strong belief that giving something away for free is a disservice to the people who need it. This philosophy stems from the importance of establishing a feedback mechanism. When you give something away you can do impact assessment and surveys, but you may not get good feedback on how valued your product is. That said, we just delivered 1,000 stoves for free. The ultimate goal is to negotiate with our partners to set a subsidized price above the price of scrap metal.
3p: In a 2008 interview with the Wharton Journal, you said, “My passion is to develop market-oriented solutions to poverty.” Is that still true? Any amendments or qualifications?
Sosler: Still true. I really believe that a feedback mechanism is crucial and lacking in many elements of international development. Yet, now that I’m working in an extreme humanitarian situation, I recognize that a fully functional market (as it would be defined at Wharton, or by most business schools) is not always optimal. When the goal is worldwide and less focused on those left behind, I would push for more sustainable businesses. I really do think that market solutions to poverty are the way forward.
For the full report and interview: The Darfur Stoves Project: A Market Solution to Poverty.
Photos: Darfur Stoves Project and The Triple Pundit.
