Eco-stoves

Like other poor families across Guatemala, many families in San Miguel Dueñas cook their meals on open fires.  It is like having a campfire in the middle of your house.  The wood burns quickly and the smoke swirls around the room and even into other rooms.

The open fires require families either to spend up to 20 percent of their income on firewood or to spend hours collecting woods in the forests. In addition, with so much smoke in the house, respiratory problems are inevitable.  That means loss of wages for the adults when they are too sick to go to work and doctor’s bills for everyone. 

Eco-stoves represent a cost effective solution.  These are stoves constructed of bricks and cement and they work like enclosed wood burning stoves used for heat in other countries.  They burn less wood while producing more heat.  A four-month supply of wood for an open fire will last for a year with an eco-stove.  Moreover, they include a chimney which directs the smoke outside the house.

As of June 2024 Open Windows volunteers have installed 1,311 stoves and another 90 to 100 are expected to be installed prior to the end of the year. The cost of the stoves is covered by the volunteers and the result of those donations is that families experience an increase in their disposable income and an improvement in the health of every member of the family. It is a gift which often brings tears to the eyes of the recipients.