More stoves in use means fewer trees cut for fuel
By Charlie Welch, DLC Conservation Coordinator
DLC-SAVA Conservation is fortunate to have third-year Peace Corps volunteer Libby Davis working with us in a collaborative role! Libby did her first two years with the Peace Corps in the SAVA region, then chose to stay on for a third year to work with DLC-SAVA. Because Libby is fluent in Malagasy and already has relationships with local people in the region, she is helping out with project support of fuel-efficient cookstoves by conducting surveys with rural villagers in the region. The surveys collect information such as how people are cooking and, if they already have the cookstoves, whether they’re using them and how often they use them, what they do and don’t like about the stoves, etc. When the information is collated from the hundreds of surveys from different parts of the region, it will hopefully inform us on how we can best get more households using the fuel-saving stoves.
The fuel-efficient stoves distributed by the DLC-SAVA Conservation project can reduce wood use by 50%, in addition to improving women’s and children’s respiratory health through improved kitchen air quality. These high-quality wood- and charcoal-burning stoves are designed and manufactured by ADES, a Swiss NGO that makes them available at a reduced price.
Many thanks to the U.S. Peace Corps in Madagascar for the partnership, and to Libby as well!
