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Day 11

A family in Guatemala can cook smoke-free for a month

Economical cooking stoves instead of open fire Economical cooking stoves instead of open fire Economical cooking stoves instead of open fire Economical cooking stoves instead of open fire

A family in Guatemala can cook smoke-free for a month
Day 11
Efficient stoves protect the health of women and children

Many families in the highlands of Guatemala cook in their huts over an open fire. The walls are woven from branches or made of simple boards. This means that some of the smoke can escape outside, but it also spreads into every corner of the hut. The smoke is harmful to health, especially to children's eyes and respiratory tract. The pediatrician Aroldo Ixcot comes from the Mayan people of the K'iche'. He explains: "The child mortality rate in Guatemala is the highest in Central America. This is due, among other things, to frequent pneumonia. Newborns are often laid next to the warm cooking area all day long. This means they are exposed to the smoke for several hours. This can lead to dangerous infections."

Efficient stoves protect the health of women and children
need
Economical cooking stoves for Mayan families in Guatemala who previously cooked on open fires.
activity
Welthaus Bielefeld installs cookers worth 120 euros each in the kitchens of needy families. The families themselves pay a contribution of 25 euros.
Measurable performance
Number of efficient cooking stoves that can be installed with the donation.
Result
Fewer respiratory diseases due to almost smoke-free cooking. Families spend less money and time on collecting firewood.
Systemically relevant impact
Improved health of Mayan families. The forest can regenerate.
background

In Guatemala, the indigenous Maya population in particular lives in great poverty. The needs of the Maya are largely ignored by the government, even though they make up around half of the country's population. Many Maya families rely on wood as a source of energy for cooking. The open fires in living spaces are particularly dangerous to the health of women and children.

Respiratory diseases are the most common cause of child mortality in Guatemala: around a third of cases are caused by pneumonia. Eye infections and burns are also common.

In addition, open fires are extremely inefficient and consume a lot of wood, so that regions that were once rich in forests have now largely been deforested.

Day 11 Day 11
The good deed

With today's donation, Welthaus Bielefeld is installing energy-efficient stoves in the huts together with the families. The smoke is led outside through a chimney, improving the air quality in the living spaces. The stoves also reduce firewood consumption by 70%. This protects the forest and saves time, energy and money.

AboutGuatemala
Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Capital city
16 582 500
16 582 500
Population
4 089
4 089
Gross domestic product per capita per year
125
125
Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

Mayans are often treated badly in Guatemala. They speak their own languages, but when they have to go to a hospital, for example, no one understands them.
About the organization and further information

organization

Welthaus Bielefeld

website

www.welthaus.de/auslandsprojekte/guatemala/start/

Further links

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€ / Tag