Stove

Breathe Easy

Certification  |  VCS

The vast majority of the rural population in Malawi cook on highly inefficient, traditional three-stone fires, often located inside poorly-ventilated kitchens with small windows. This not only causes severe household air pollution and chronic respiratory, heart and eye disease but imposes a material health burden on women and children who are responsible for preparing meals.

This offset project builds clean, efficient stoves that slow down the combustion of wood, significantly improving indoor air quality and reducing health risks. Malawian women, or community artisans, can build their own stoves with training and support using provided brick moulds. Because they require less wood, the stoves also reduce the amount of time women and children spend gathering firewood each week, allowing time for other activities.

The project meets the following Sustainable Development Goals