The majority of rural Guatemalans cook over open wood fires — often burning inside their one-room homes where their children play and sleep. Lower respiratory illness is the leading cause of death in Guatemala, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The typical cooking fire produces about 400 cigarettes’ worth of smoke an hour, and prolonged exposure is associated with respiratory infections, eye damage, heart and lung disease, and lung cancer. Cooking over open wood fires is also energy inefficient, increasing deforestation pressures on surrounding forests. Furthermore, one person in every family must dedicate on average 4 hours per day to collect wood for cooking, or they must spend up to 25% of their income to purchase enough firewood to cook.
Journeys in Conservation collaborates with recipient rural families whose homes are often filled with cooking smoke to install fuel-efficient cookstoves. These efficient stoves are specially designed for Guatemalan cooking styles, with combustion chambers and chimneys which dramatically reduce smoke in homes and decrease firewood consumption by 45%. This leads to healthier families, saves them valuable time and/or money, and protects Guatemala’s rainforests.
You can follow the construction process below. When we build, the whole family is encouraged to participate. Like most kids, children in these families love to get their hands dirty!
