Location: Kenya
Type: Improved Cook Stove / Energy Efficient Stove
Standard: The Gold Standard
Carbon Savings
The project provides fuel-efficient cook stoves to families throughout Kenya. The rural population of Kenya live in very poor conditions and mainly use forest gathered wood as their primary means of cooking and heating. This places pressure on the local forests affecting wildlife which can then be displaced into farmland causing conflict.
These new brick stoves replace the inefficient “three stone fires” and are provided to the communities free of charge. The stoves halve the wood fuel use and on average prevents three tonnes of CO2 from being emitted each year. This carbon saving is further boosted by the reduction of local deforestation, due to the reduced demand for firewood.
The Region
The project is located throughout Kenya, with three main regions – the area of Kisumu near Lake Victoria, to the north Nairobi in the Meru and Aberdares Range and along the Kenyan coastal area to south of Mombasa in the Shimba Hills region. The Shimba Hills is an area of coastal rainforest, woodland and grassland. It is an important area for plant biodiversity – over 50 % of the 159 rare plants in Kenya are found in the Shimba Hills, including some endangered species. It is also a nationally important site for birds and butterflies.
The communities that live there are amongst the poorest rural people in Kenya. Surviving on less than a dollar a day they rely on the dwindling forest resources to sustain daily life. This project eases their workload and protects vital natural resources from overexploitation.
Social & Community Benefit
Accreditation
This project has been conducted under the strict guidelines and validation process of The Gold Standard involving annual third-party site visits and audits.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
The project supports many of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN, in particular: