Peru: Huilloc Smoke-Free Stoves Project

Regenerative Project

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Objectives
Addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Impacts
Outcomes
Background
Can I visit this project?
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Impact Report

Regenerative 2030

Replace cook stoves in households to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution

Since 2018, the World Expeditions Foundation has replaced over 70 cookstoves in Huilloc, benefitting over 250 family members.

There are 126 households in Huilloc still using open fire cookstoves. These households rely rudimentary open fire cook stoves to prepare meals. These cook stoves produce a thick smoke that hangs in the air, trapped within the confines of small kitchens. Mostly it is women and children who inhale the smoke during meal preparation, spending up to eight hours a day in the kitchen. According to the World Health Organization the inhalation of indoor smoke has been linked to pneumonia in children, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low birth weight babies and lung cancer.

World Expeditions Foundation aims to replace all remaining open fire cook stoves with the healthy cookstove alternative. Each cookstove costs $550 (materials and installation). We aim to fund the installation of 6 cookstoves at a time. Since September 2022 we have installed 06 cookstoves and we are on our way to funding another 6 cookstoves before the end of 2023.

Addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health And Well-being: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development.

Affordable And Clean Energy: Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity.

Impacts

Cleaner air to breath within family kitchens
Faster cooking of meals

Outcomes

Improved respiratory health of family members

Improved school attendance

Less illness leads to improved capacity to earn income

Reduced medical expenses

Reduced cooking times allows time for other activities

Background

According to the World Health Organisation the inhalation of indoor smoke has been linked to pneumonia in children, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low birth weight babies and lung cancer. This is a global problem.

“Around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and simple stoves burning biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.”

“Over 4 million people die prematurely from illness attributable to the household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels.”

“More than 50% of premature deaths due to pneumonia among children under 5 are caused by the particulate matter (soot) inhaled from household air pollution.”

There are over 200 households in Huilloc. Women and young children spend approx. 8 hours a day in the kitchen. The traditional open fire stoves currently in place use solid fuels (wood, coal and dung) and produce high levels of toxic household air pollution that cause a range of health issues, including:

• low birth weight in babies

• pneumonia in children

• pulmonary disease

• bronchitis

Huilloc is home to over 1,725 residents. Over 170 students attend the primary school and approximately 80 students attend the high school. The majority of men from Huilloc work as porters to the trekking industry and the women sell traditional handicrafts (this region is known for its customary traditions of back strap weaving) to the 2,500 tourists that visit Huilloc each year. The community generates further income from tourism by home-stay accommodation and agricultural / cultural tours of the village.

A cost of the cook stove installation includes the cookstove unit (oven, chimney, cast iron burners, 16 bricks), the transportation of the kit from Lima to Huilloc and the cost to have an expert oversee the installation. The family receiving the stove will be asked to prepare the area for the new cook stove and to produce several adobe bricks that are required for the outer surface of the cook stove. The adobe bricks are made from natural materials that are easily accessible. The cook stove design reflects the traditional Andean style of cook stove to ensure the beneficiaries feel familiar with it and to ensure they adopt it.

Can I visit this project?

You and your travelling companion/s (minimum of 2 travellers required) can work alongside the community to install healthy cook stoves >> Huilloc Village Healthy Cook Stove Project.