The project constructs and installs energy efficient cook stoves for rural communities. Use of improved cook stoves reduces the demand for firewood, leads to a reduction of CO2 emissions and protects the local forests. By using local materials and training artisans to construct the cook stoves, the local economy is supported. Community saving and loaning groups lead to the financial empowerment of the local people and make the cook stove affordable for all villagers. The new stoves reduce smoke emissions, thus improving indoor air quality. This has a positive effect on the respiratory health of women and children.

The project uses an innovative community saving and loaning (CSL) mechanism, a local micro-finance methodology, to address the unmet needs of the poor communities, to promote and enable access to the efficient cook stoves, and to enable access to financial services such as loans, insurances and savings for financial empowerment. Furthermore, the project provides training for stove artisans recruited from the local communities to construct efficient cook stoves using locally available materials. In this way creating local jobs and ensuring that added value stays within the local economy.Up to December 2014, the project has achieved the following impacts and benefits:o Over 100,000 people benefit from better air and from having to spend less time for collecting firewood.o More than 120 permanent jobs have been created for the local community.o 121 artisans have been trained over the years (45% women).o 22,000 cook stoves have been installed so far.o Over 900 community savings and loaning groups (CSL) have been created with 22,000 members (87% women).o 99% of stoves were purchased through CSL mechanism.o 8,436 KES (USD 80) and 283 hours time (5 hours per week) have been saved in average per household per year.o Each stove avoids about 2.3 t CO2 and 1.4 tons wood per year.o Air quality improvement in the kitchen: 100% of beneficiaries report less smoke, 97% report less eye irritation, 93% report easier breathing, 84% report less coughing, 73% report less headaches.o Emissions of 84,000 tCO2e reduced.

Community savings and loaning groups (CSL) are used to promote and finance energy efficiency measure for rural households. These groups are an ideal means for capacity building, awareness creation and know-how exchange among rural communities.

The project is developed by the Swiss non-profit foundation myclimate, and is coordinated and implemented by the Kenyan Tembea Youth Centre for Sustainable Development (Ugunja, Kenya).

Foundation myclimate, Tembea Youth Centre for Sustainable Development