Lita Stoves: Urgent Action for Forests and Women

1. Local Context and Progress Status

Months have passed since this microproject was published on GlobalGiving, and we have not yet received any funding. However, on the ground in the Couffo Department (Benin, AFRICA), our team has never stopped preparing for its implementation.

In several public primary schools, thousands of children benefit daily from meals provided by the school canteens we support. These meals are essential: they improve attendance, learning, and child health. Yet, the cooks—often volunteers or low-wage women—must still cook over open wood fires. They are exposed to toxic smoke that harms their health, all while accelerating the already alarming deforestation in the region.

Similarly, the rural women's groups we work with (Domonhoué, Kpodaha Centre, Solouhoué, Avédjin) process large quantities of cassava, oil, or fritters every day. Their dependence on wood increases their expenses, their workload, and their exposure to respiratory risks.

2. A Project Meeting Real and Urgent Needs

The introduction of "Lita" improved cookstoves is a perfect fit for this environment. This project aims to simultaneously:

• Protect women's health by reducing their direct and prolonged contact with harmful smoke;
• Preserve the forest in Benin (Africa), a vital resource that is being depleted by domestic wood harvesting.

This is not about creating a new system, but rather strengthening structures that are already active: school canteens, women's cooperatives, and village solidarity networks. These Lita cookstoves will improve local initiatives that are already functioning but need technical and material support to become safer and more sustainable.

3. Preparations Completed Despite Lack of Funding

While awaiting the first donations, we have:

• Selected 100 schools whose canteens can immediately benefit from Lita stoves;
• Mobilized 4 women's groups ready to participate in practical training;
• Established a partnership with local female potters, experts in crafting the necessary clay components;
• Prepared a demonstration protocol including "before/after" wood consumption measurement, as well as collecting testimonials from future users.

Our teams are ready: the beneficiaries, local partners, and artisans are simply waiting for the financial resources to begin.

4. What We Will Launch Upon Receipt of First Donations

As soon as the first funds are received, we will immediately launch:

a. Two pilot workshops: one in a school and one in a women's group;

b. The manufacturing and distribution of approximately 200 Lita cookstoves, accompanied by practical training and awareness sessions;

c. Complete documentation (photos, testimonials, comparative data) to inform GlobalGiving and every donor of the real impact of their contribution.

5. A Heartfelt Appeal to Donors

We sincerely thank GlobalGiving for the visibility the platform provides. Even without donations so far, this opportunity allows us to continue raising awareness, mobilizing, and strengthening project preparation.

Today, we are issuing a warm and urgent appeal: we need you.

Every donation, no matter how small, can kickstart this project and concretely transform the lives of hundreds of women and children in the Couffo region.

• One Lita cookstove means less wood burned,
• Less smoke inhaled,
• Less time lost gathering wood,
• And more forest preserved for future generations.

We invite everyone to take action today.

Your donation is never just symbolic: it immediately becomes a tool for health, environmental protection, and dignity for the rural communities we serve.

Thank you for giving. Thank you for acting. Thank you for making this change possible.