Date established: 1998

Number of stoves built: 1,400

Types of stoves built: Justa

Program history: The rural poor in Guatemala struggle to meet their basic needs and must use the natural resources available to them, even when doing so risks their own heath as well as damaging the environment. TWP began building Justa stoves in Guatemala to improve the economic situation of disadvantaged rural and urban families, helping them to meet their basic needs without causing damage to the ecosystems that support them.

Through our program along the south coast, families help to build their own fuel-efficient stove that burns 50-70% less wood. These stoves substantially reduce the time needed for wood collection and/or the money spent to purchase wood. When traditional, inefficient stoves are used, this cost can represent up to 44% of a family’s annual income. A new Justa stove means:

• Families can allocate more time and resources to other, more productive activities.
• Reduced deforestation, thereby protecting forests and waterways and reducing the chances of flooding, as well as the resulting disastrous effects. 
• Help for families in the area to meet their basic need for clean, breathable indoor air. By using a simple chimney to remove dangerous gases and smoke from the kitchen, we can also reduce the occurrence of serious respiratory diseases, which primarily affect women and children.
• Protection for the last remaining mangrove forests along the Pacific coast.