Protect Guatemalan Forests with Clean Cookstoves

When Andrea got married, as is the Tz’utujil custom, she went to live with the family of her husband. In this household, the family uses an improved ONIL cookstove which Tui’k Ruch’Lew had installed some years ago. Andrea had never seen one of these stoves and she was delighted with its efficiency, cleanliness and tremendous savings on firewood - not to mention no toxic smoke in her face, from which she had suffered over the open fire hearth, in the house where she grew up.

After the birth of their first child, it was time for Andrea and her husband to make their own kitchen. Andrea wanted an ONIL stove but her husband said they would have to wait until they saved the necessary money to pay their part of the stove costs - each recipient in TRL’s stove program makes a small donation towards their stove as a demonstration of their commitment to care for and maintain it.  Andrea had noticed a practically new but abandoned ONIL stove in the yard of a neighbor - originally dropped off by a well-intentioned charitable group who never explained how to use the stove nor followed up on the installation. The family never really used it. Andrea acquired the remains of the stove.

Thrilled with her find, Andrea called Tui’k Ruch’Lew to ask for our help in restoring the stove, which we were glad to do. For a small investment in stove parts, she acquired her ONIL stove. Today Andrea is still using the renovated ONIL stove and carefully maintains it in good working condition. It may look old on the outside, but the innovative design, which cuts consumption of firewood by nearly 70% and almost entirely reduces harmful CO2 emissions and black carbon, is still intact and functioning perfectly. That discarded stove was a treasure in Andrea’s eyes and it is now enrolled in TRL’s project, where we visit the stove each year to ensure its continued successful functioning - part of monitoring every stove in our project.

Your donations to Tui’k Ruch’ Lew’s project “Protect Guatemala Forests with Clean Cookstoves” not only improves the health and economy of a family, but it also saves the trees on our mountains. Scientists tell us that protecting native forests which provide a carbon sink is one of the most efficient ways to reduce CO2 in our atmosphere. Our stove project not only saves those forests but reduces the amount of CO2 which is released by cooking over an open fire, by three tons in just the first year of stove use. You are taking DIRECT CLIMATE ACTION when you support TRL’s Clean Stove project!

Your donations are helping families like Andreas'. And by spreading the word, you can continue to support us. 

1. Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)
2. Join our mailing list today
3. Become a monthly donor on GlobalGiving
4. Volunteer with us (Get in touch)

We wish you a wonderful day.

The team of Tui'k Ruch'Lew

Links:

• CLIMATE ACTION NOW: Making a difference for People

Meet Jesus Santizo Xeche De Sosof

On the 25th of August, we installed a cookstove in San Antonio Chacaya -- one of the poorest villages in Santiago Atitlan. Jesus lives with her sick mother in a tiny room -- not larger than 4x3 meters. The main room is made from cement bricks while the kitchen is half outside with a dirt floor and walls made from corrugated sheet metal. Every day, Jesus cooks the meals on the ground (see typical kitchen setup).

Since her economic situation does not allow her to buy dry firewood, Jesus depends on the wood that her brother Francisco transports down from the mountain every day. During the rainy season, the wood is so wet that it burns at low temperature and is therefore energy inefficient. Moreover, burning wet wood creates a lot of smoke and steam (see video of Jesus’s kitchen).

Using wet wood in an open fire situation is also unhealthy because it releases pollutants into the air (e.g., nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide) and particles (e.g., particulate matter and black carbon). If that weren't enough of a health hazard, burning wet wood releases huge amounts of creosote -- carcinogenic deposits that cause skin and eye irritations, minor chemical burns, and, if inhaled, respiratory infections and even cancer through prolonged exposure (see wall full of creosote).

We feel for people like Jesus. The installation of this energy-efficient cookstove was realized through your donations. Our outreach team -- Jose and Maria -- were very pleased to be able to install the stove for Jesus and her mother (see installation). Because we accompany all installations with our education program, Maria could explain the health risks associated with burning wet wood (see image of environmental talk). Jesus and her brother, who was passing by to bring more firewood, did not know about these health risks, but could directly link their mother's illness to the way they had been cooking for many, many years. To reduce the health risks from using wet wood, Maria suggested creating space in the covered area to dry the wood for as long as possible before burning it in the stove.

Thanks to the new energy-efficient stove, Jesus will need to use much less firewood when preparing food for her family. For Jesus, this is an enormous relief -- timewise and financially. The new stove is restoring her dignity while making important health improvements for her entire family.

Please accept our thanks.Your donations are helping families like this. And by spreading the word, you can continue to support us.

• Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)
• Join our mailing list today
• Become a monthly donor on GlobalGiving
• Volunteer with us (Get in touch)

We wish you a wonderful day,

Jessica and the Tui’k Ruch’Lew team

Links:

• Video of the smoke generated by open fire cooking
• Tortillas are made at the end of each stove installation