proyecto de cocinas mejoradas

This year I will be working on a project with my community that will integrate improving health, hygiene, and living conditions of mothers and their families in my community. I have organized community leaders to prepare this project to construct improved stoves for families with young children. Most of the materials and labor will be provided by the family, however the chimney and stove top are very expensive (often the biggest barrier to having an improved stove). So, through a program called Peace Corps Partnership Program, we are looking for donations to cover the costs of the stove parts that the community cannot make or afford. Each stove is about $50 and there are other transportation costs for a total budget of about $2,500.

Installation of improved stoves and educating mothers about rural environmental health will be a sustainable means of improving the overall health of the community. The project will integrate improvement of household infrastructure and maternal education in order to develop healthier families in the community. 37 mothers have signed up to participate in the project. Every mother lives with a family with young children in conditions of poverty. If the project of Healthy Homes and Improved Kitchens is not implemented, families in the community will continue practice poor health habits in their homes. With the current method of cooking over an open fire, there is a high risk of acute respiratory infections. Having an improved stove and healthier and cleaner kitchen will contribute to a decrease in respiratory infections and other sicknesses related to poor hygiene. Additionally, having an improved stove will save 40% of firewood, which is currently used excessively, taking money out of the pockets of families, as well as negatively affecting the environment. Donations are fully tax deductible and it is an easy and secure process. You can simply go to this link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=527-014 to go directly to my project. Or, you can go to peacecorps.gov, click on “donate now” and search for my project. Here is some information you may need:
Project Name: Healthy Homes and Kitchens
Project Number: 527-014
Name: Sayre R.
Country of Service: Peru
Peru Project Type: Health and HIV/AIDS Volunteer
Home State: Virginia

Thank you so much in advance if you can help in any way; through donations, spreading the word, or just learning about this important international development and environmental issue concerning the cooking and health habits of half of the world’s population and the effects on global health and global warming.

If you have access to The New Yorker, there was an interesting article in the December 21, 2009 issue. Here is a link to the abstract, but if you can find the whole article, it is a great article and touches a lot on improved stoves in world development: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/12/21/091221fa_fact_bilger Here are some pictures of cocinas mejoradas and some of the families who will be beneficiaries of the program.

And finally, I’m sharing some pictures that show effects from cooking over an open fire, what “cocinas mejoradas” actually look like, and some of the beneficiaries of the project. Thank you!