The "Cook Stoves for Climate Resilience" pilot project that we support is making strides in Meru County, Kenya.
As a result of listening to the local community, our partner, the International Tree Foundation (ITF) is collaborating with the Meru Forest Environmental Conservation and Protection Community Forest Association to introduce 500 improved cookstoves as a way to reduce pressure on local forests. The site in Upper Imenti, where members of the community have already planted 75,000 trees with support from ITF, is a crucial hub for this initiative, as it forms part of a broader strategy to restore and rehabilitate degraded forest sites in both the Lower and Upper Imenti area.
The local community heavily relies on fuelwood for cooking and heating their homes, raising significant health concerns linked to indoor air pollution. This issue disproportionately affects women and girls, who bear the burden of collecting fuel and managing cooking responsibilities. The introduction of the stoves aims to redress these gender inequalities. A targeted training program will involve instructing 15 women on the stoves' contributions to climate resilience, along with installation, care, and maintenance. This hands-on training initiative seeks to raise awareness and empower both small-scale farmers and the broader community, as these 15 women will train and disseminate the same knowledge and skills to the rest of the recipients of the cook stoves.
Beyond these social impacts, the environmental benefits are profound, contributing significantly to climate resilience and sustainable development. Stay tuned for more as we keep you updated on this vital project which embraces these sustainable practices, forging resilience against the challenges posed by our changing climate.
