Though a simple design change, researchers in the US are helping women living in the refugee camps of Darfur, Sudan. Everyday, they must walk for up to seven hours outside the safety of the camps to collect firewood for cooking, putting them at risk for violent attacks. A new design for an efficient wood-burning stove is helping reduce the risk. (Darfur Stove Project)
Reducing the Risk of Rape and Preventing Environmental Degradation With Fuel Efficient Stoves
The Berkeley-Darfur Stove
The story is from Quest, a science show at KQED, the PBS station in San Francisco.
Their video is at their broadcasting site. I’m unable to embed it, but here is a short You Tube video.
Darfur Stoves Project
The Darfur Stoves Project PDF. Photo: USAID
There has also been an ongoing effort by USAID to show women in the Darfur camps how to build Fuel-efficient stoves which can be manufactured in camps for less than $3 using local materials, including clay, sorghum stems, dung, aluminum, and water.
Relief Web Question and answers on In search of cheaper, safer fuel for refugees
Some questions and answers on Darfur Stoves Project .
If you want to donate you can donate at global giving for CHF International, or via the Darfur Stoves site.
There are programs just to fund a stove, which if possible the recipients pay a small price for, and programs in which they train local blacksmiths to make the stoves with the goal to have three shops in Darfur that, once fully operational, will each have the capacity to produce 100 stoves per day.
