Studies show that many rural women spend up to five hours a day gathering fuel and carrying heavy loads. This burden leaves them with little time for productive activities or leisure, puts women and girls at risk of long-term health problems and increases their vulnerability to physical or sexual violence. Also, spending long hours indoors with traditional wood burning stoves can result in health hazards such as lung disease and eye infections for women and children.
Development is not possible without access to energy, Energy is vital for women's development in terms of reducing their time burden for collecting firewood used in cooking and heating, supporting livelihoods activities, improving health and well being and providing opportunities for enterprise and capacity-building.
Decreasing the level of deforestation in the area through encouraging the use of ICS this campaign has reduced the level of household firewood used by up to 90% in more than 900 families built this stove.This project has educated local leaders about the role of forests. the communities have been encouraged to plant more trees in line with national policy.
The provision of clean cook stoves can mitigate these negative impacts while promoting women's empowerment, as the time that would have been used to collect fuel can now be used for other productive and economic activities. Also, By reducing the level of firewood consumption and educating local leaders about the role of forests the movements of people in natural forests has been significantly reduced.