The traditional cook-stove in Southwest Honduras consists of a flat metal plate placed on some rocks over an open fire. The flat metal plate is ideal for cooking tortillas, but the open design makes the kitchen very smoky, increases the risk of burns and is wasteful of firewood. We have modified existing stove designs to meet the needs of our community and then taught local people how to make the improved cook-stoves. Although there are more efficient designs out there, the one we have chosen is easily made with local materials and readily repaired by the homeowner.
The technology of designing and then building a cook-stove is easy. The hard part, as always, is the people. We have created a specific approach that has worked well for our group. Given local people do not have much money, we subsidize the cost of the purchased parts ($55-$60) and request they use their labor and local resources.
For each cook-stove, the following applies
- Recipient must complete 1 day of communal labor (about $6 equivalent for local pay rate)
- Recipient must pay L150 ($6) for stove parts
- Recipient must attend a Charla (class) where they learn how to build a cook-stove
- Recipient must provide all locally needed materials: build the table for the stove, provide the mud, rock, and metal can.
- We provide the plancha (metal plate), ree-bar to support the plancha, 6 feet of chimney, 3 mud bricks, and a small bit of cement to seal the roof perforation.
When the above conditions are met, a foreman we pay ($6) helps build the stove and ensure the stove meets our minimum standards.
Challenges
- Cook-stoves are not sustainable at this time. Most local people do not have the $55 to build on their own. Through other interventions, we are attempting to improve their financial reserves so replacing broken parts becomes possible. The plancha (flat metal plate) is the most costly part and does wear out after a few years. They cost about $25. When a replacement is needed, we charge $15 at this time.
- Some people elect to enlarge the hole where the wood is fed into the fire. This increased the heat output of the stove and allows larger wood to be inserted. The downside is that the efficiency goes down and more wood needs to be collected.
