A project in rural South America, centered on the hearth, radiating out to the community.
The Healthier Homes Project
Starting a Movement
The Healthier Homes Project seeks to effect change not only in the home, but also within the larger community. Women are forming their own local commissions to prepare their communities to receive stoves. They are attending educational workshops to learn about how to prepare more nutritional food for their families, the importance of reforestation and smoke reduction, how to use their new stove, and more. These women are creating a new culture for a healthier tomorrow.
WELCOME
Preparing lunch on a clean stove.
The Project
The Healthier Homes Project is building clean stoves for women in rural communities in South America who currently cook over an open fire. Coupled with firewood reforestation efforts and wellness education, the project seeks to holistically address the issues that face women, their families, and their community.
Above: A woman cooks over a typical floor fire.
Below: Ash and tar collects on ceiling.
Why Cleaner Stoves Are Crucial
Did you know that the World Health Organization attributes 1.6 million deaths each year to indoor smoke inhalation with women and children at greatest risk? Smoke in the home kills more people than malaria does, and almost as many as unsafe water and sanitation. The problem affects more than 2 billion people in the developing world. Cleaner stoves are desperately needed.
The Healthier Homes Project is building stoves that close kitchen fires, elevate them off the floor away from children, and vent smoke outside to prevent smoke-related health problems. The benefits don’t end there. Because the stoves retain heat, they are a more efficient use of firewood and can cut wood consumption by half. Families report more and more difficulty finding fuel. Conservation and reforestation efforts are crucial for a sustainable future.
Want to learn more? Email: thehhproject@gmail.com
