Sankhuwasabha, Nepal - Improved Cooking Stoves
Sankhuwasabha is a remote and mountainous district of eastern Nepal. It is only possible to visit during the summer months and by foot. The nearest airport (and even the nearest road) is a five day trek away. Our work here with our partners Eco Himal is concentrated on two communities: Chepuwa and Hatiya.
During 2016 and early 2017 we worked with Eco Himal to identify and begin testing cooking stoves that will improve home life and the environment in Sankhuwasabha.
Chepuwa, Sankhuwasabha, 2016: A family sit round a traditional open hearth. Such fires result in high levels of smoke indoors, the roof is black is soot. Wood also burns quickly on an open fire, this means large quantities of wood need to be harvested, collected and stored. An environmentally damaging and time consuming process.
project aims
Installation of 'improved' cooking stoves is a popular and important NGO activity in Nepal. TGT has an excellent track record of work in this area. Unfortunately due to complexities around the unique characteristics of each location there is not a 'one size fits all' solution. Our partners in Nepal, Eco Himal, are working closely with the communities of Chepuwa and Hatiya in Sankhumwasabha to identify the best cooking stove for this particular environment and culture. Improved stoves are being tested in 2017 with 30 households. If they are successful, we will look to fund the purchase and distribution of more stoves to the wider population in this remote location.
key activities
- Capacity building and training on use of improved cooking stoves
- Monitor efficiency and use of cooking stoves in 30 households
- Scope potential for further roll out of improved cooking stoves across the region
