GlobalGiving.org: Fuel Efficient Stoves for Darfur

Recent Events in Sudan

Damian Winters — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:52:27 GMT

Update: April 22, 2009 Due to recent political events in Sudan, CHF International is one of 13 international aid organizations in Darfur that has been asked by the Sudanese government to leave the Darfur region. CHF International regrets the decision of the Sudanese government and remains committed to working with the Sudanese government in order to continue to provide humanitarian assistance and development to the people of Darfur. CHF hopes that the situation will be resolved in such a way as we are able to continue our life-saving work as soon as possible. However, as it is unknown when we will be able to return to the region, if we are unable to re-enter, all current donations received for this project may need to be reprogrammed to other CHF aid and development activities around the world.

Please note that CHF is an independent, neutral organization whose focus is entirely on helping the most vulnerable people in North and South Sudan. CHF has no affiliation with the International Criminal Court in any way and has at no point provided the ICC with any information. Its mission in Sudan is entirely humanitarian in nature, focused on working directly with the most vulnerable people in the camps to help them to restart their lives and livelihoods.

Darfur

Erin Mote — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:21:49 GMT

CHF International Asked by Sudanese Government to Leave Darfur Silver Spring, March 5, 2009

The government of Sudan has revoked the registration of many NGOs working in Sudan. CHF International, the international development and humanitarian assistance organization, is one of those whose license has been revoked.

CHF has been told that it must cease operations and expatriate staff must depart from the country immediately. We are taking all steps necessary to ensure the safety and security of our staff during this process.

CHF International regrets the decision of the Sudanese government and remains committed to working with the Sudanese government in order to continue to provide humanitarian assistance and development to the people of Darfur. CHF hopes that the situation will be resolved in such a way as we are able to continue our life-saving work as soon as possible.

CHF is an independent, neutral organization whose focus is entirely on helping the most vulnerable people in North and South Sudan. CHF has no affiliation with the International Criminal Court in any way. Its mission in Sudan is entirely humanitarian in nature, focused on working directly with the most vulnerable people in the camps to help them to restart their lives and livelihoods.

Judith Hermanson, Senior Vice President of CHF International says: ‘This is a terrible setback for the people of Darfur who depend upon the work of CHF International both for immediate relief to their situation, and also for the long-term hopes of regaining self-direction and self-sufficiency in their lives.’

CHF has been working in Sudan since 2004. In Darfur we undertake projects with internally displaced persons to ensure families have reliable food and shelter, necessary HIV/AIDS education, vocational training and fuel efficient stoves that improve women’s safety and opportunities for earning increased income. Over 170,000 people benefit from these programs each year. For more information see http://www.chfinternational.org/sudan.

CHF - Sudan

Erin Mote — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:21:16 GMT

Darfur Fuel Efficient Stoves Update CHF International thanks everyone for their wonderful support of our Darfur Fuel Efficient Stoves program.

As you may have heard, many western aid and development organizations have been told to leave Sudan by the Sudanese government. CHF is one of these. For more information on this read our official statement.

We want to assure everyone who has donated and supported the people of Darfur in this project, that their money is being held for that purpose only. Once we are able to return to our work helping the most vulnerable families in the Darfur camps, we will continue with the program, producing much-needed fuel efficient stoves. We will post updates as the situation evolves to keep you informed.

Thank you all for your support for the people of Darfur.

CNN Story

CHF — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:17:34 GMT

Stoves for Darfur: CHF International and Maryland Teenager Spencer Brodsky Work Together to Help the People of Darfur

As featured on CNN

Links:

Link to CNN Video

Stoves & Baskets and a Story of Inspiration

Erin Mote — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:04:38 GMT

Gisma Ahmed Adam--a beneficiary of the project

In February, CHF hired additional laborers [thanks to the overwhelming support of our individual donors through Global Giving and beyond], that increased production to 35-45 stoves per day (approx 1000/month).

The demand for the stove among the internally displaced people (IDPs) is high because the stove is durable, effective, and tangibly beneficial to their lives. The project is going strong.

In addition, the Stove project has spurred another economic livelihoods project for the women and youth of Darfur. Many have now begun to participate in our Baskets for Darfur project which creates revenue for the family. Women in the program are using the income to purchase more food for their families, schooling for their children, and livestock.

One Story of Inspiration

Hajja Suaad, 55, is a displaced woman from Tawila, in Darfur, Sudan. Living in a relief camp with her family, Hajja is one of thousands of women who have had to leave their villages due to the ongoing conflict in the region over the past three years. CHF International is working with more than 250,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) to provide them with the services, tools, and skills they need to earn a living and be prepared for their eventual return to their home villages. Hajja has become a role model in CHF's basket production activities in the relief camps.

In September 2005, she was selected for a two-month training in traditional handicrafts and has since excelled in basket weaving. CHF organized an exhibition in December 2005 to display the IDP-produced traditional handicrafts for the development community of professionals in the area. Hajja Suaad was a pioneer in designing a market strategy to sell most of her products during the two-week exhibition. In addition, after graduating from the CHF course, she organized a group of five women from her team and started a self-funded basket project. Hajja now has a successful basket production business with the group and produces crafts at her own pace from her own home. She has become a self-sufficient IDP thanks to CHF livelihoods and training program, selling her products and earning between SDD 20,000 to 25,000 a month (US$100 to US$120).

For more about CHF's programs in Darfur, Sudan, please visit the link below. h

Links:

CHF's Sudan programming

Progress is promising

Coy — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:34:45 GMT

I am pleased to report that [following a lull during the holidays] production of fuel-efficient stoves in Nyala is back up to 15-20 stoves per day and as of January 23, CHF had already produced a total of 2,627 stoves in Nyala, South Darfur. The Nyala Ministry of Youth has allocated CHF additional workspace and a storage facility within its Nyala Youth Center free of charge, a gesture that indicates vital Governmental Ministry support for the program.

In February, CHF is hiring additional laborers [thanks to the overwhelming support of our individual donors through Global Giving and beyond], which will increase production to 35-45 stoves per day (approx 1000/month).

CHF has also partnered with Action Contre le Faim [a French NGO] to distribute the stoves to vulnerable internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kalma, Otash, Dereig, and Al Salaam camps, and also with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to distribute the stoves to remote areas of Eastern Jebel Mara, and to Gereida camp.

The demand for the stove among the internally displaced people (IDPs) is high because the stove is durable, effective, and tangibly beneficial to their lives. The project is going strong.

Meet Nafisa

Coy I. (via Nussi Abdullah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:38:57 GMT

Nafisa with her new stove and chairs.

Nafisa Khalil Ibrahim has lived in Otash IDP camp since March 2004 when she was displaced from her home village in the fighting that has consumed her native Darfur. Nafisa, who is 29 years old and from the Dajo tribe, lives with her husband, son and her parents in a small shelter in the Northern sector of Otash camp. Nafisa began participating in CHF's program in a women’s center set up in Otash camp in 2006 and purchased a metal fuel efficient stove at the women’s center in June 2007 after a meeting where a staff member explained the benefits of the stove.

This project, which is possible through the generous support of our donors, is dramatically decreasing the personal threat women living in the camps face when they must set out to forage for firewood. With a considerable saving of energy, the stoves models save women time and money, which they would otherwise spend on purchasing the wood.

With her new stove, Nafisa quickly saw the amount of firewood she required to cook for her family reduce by between a one half and two thirds. While she used to use two to three bundles of fire wood daily (paying approximately $.50 per bundle) she now uses just one or one and a half bundles per day. With the savings Nafisa says she is now able to diversify her family's diet and provide fruit and vegetables for her growing son.

When Coy met with Nafisa last week, she also proudly displayed her new chairs and bed sheets that she was able to purchase with her savings.

One Woman's Story

Robert Lankenau — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:09:24 GMT

Halima with stove

Halima came to the IDP camp three years ago with her husband and 6 children. She received a fuel-efficient stove in June 2007. The new stove model meant that she was able to reduce her expenses on fuel-wood by two-thirds. Her household savings immediately saw a dramatic increase. By the end of the third week, she could afford school uniforms and books for two of her children. By the second month she had enough capital to start a small business selling charcoal. Today, Halima's family is living a much healthier life--she can afford to feed them meat 3-4 times a week and can buy more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Halima says her best advice for women who have a stove is to save the money well, and use it to improve quality of life for their families.

Engineer Arrives in Darfur to Begin Stove Production

Michael Helms — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:02:49 GMT

The temporary camps in Darfur have seen their populations increase as more internally displaced people (IDPs) arrive every day. Food is cooked in pots on wood fires outside of simple shelters. Firewood is available at a price from markets in the camps, or women have to walk for many hours to gather it. These women are often at risk from criminals who may steal their wood and/or threaten them with bodily harm. It is anticipated that by reducing the amount of wood needed to cook food, life will get better for the IDPs.

The Berkeley Darfur Stove (BDS) is a portable, fuel-efficient, sheet metal stove that uses much less wood to cook. The design, manufacture and distribution of the BDS is a team effort by CHF International and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. The major benefits of the fuel-efficient stove are: less money spent on firewood, less time spent gathering firewood, improved personal safety, and a reduced impact on the environment.

The BDS project achieved a major goal with the arrival of a mechanical engineer in Darfur. Michael Helms, VIP (Visiting International Professional) traveled to Darfur this week with several hundred pounds of tools and materials. Helms brought equipment with him to set up a metal stove factory. The simple, rugged tools will cut, bend and spot-weld the sheet metal used to make the stoves.

After arriving in Darfur, Helms met with local CHF staff to discuss their assessments of the first batch of stoves that were distributed to IDPs in November 2006. CHF interviewers reported that women using the stoves saved significant amounts of firewood. They also learned that the food cooked faster and tasted better when prepared in the new stove. The BDS design provides a cleaner, hotter fire, transfers more heat to the cooking pot, and uses less wood than the traditional three-stone cooking fire used by IDPs. Helms visited local businesses to assess availability of tools and materials, and made his first visit to a camp to learn how the stoves are being used. He is now working with the stove design team to enhance the stove's functionality, simplify its manufacture, and reduce total costs.

Technical Expert Volunteer Travels to Darfur to Assist with Stoves

Nussi Abdullah — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:12:24 GMT

Severe fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region has forced approximately 2.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) to live in densely populated temporary camps. Due to the arid environment and population in the camps fuelwood, which is necessary for cooking food and tea, has become limited in supply. This forces many women and children to leave the safety of their camps to fetch fuelwood from far distances and impose great risk upon themselves.

To address this situation, CHF International has teamed up with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) at Berkley University to research, design and manufacture more energy efficient stoves for use in IDP camps. To execute the first phase of this program, Visiting International Professional (VIP) Brian Tachibana traveled to Khartoum, Sudan to oversee production of the first 50 stoves. With an education and work experience as an engineer, Brian was able to work with CHF Sudanese staff to simplify the initial stove design to account for material availability and allow greater productivity during the manufacturing process.

In just two weeks, the initial 50 stoves were constructed and then transported to locations in North and South Sudan for testing. Families in IDP camps are now using the stoves on a daily basis and the LBNL team will be able to modify the stove design based upon testing feedback. Initial research shows that these stoves will cut fuelwood usage between 30-50%. This will result in substantial savings of time and money for families during food preparation, especially increasing security for women and children who will not have to travel as often away from the IDP camps.

With his VIP assignment successfully completed, Brian dreams of returning to Sudan in ten years time to see the changes to the country. In the meantime, he continues to work with LBNL to provide guidance and insight as the program expands to the next phase of implementation. Soon another engineering expert will travel to Sudan to begin mass production of 5,000 additional stoves to benefit greater numbers of IDPs.

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More details and Pictures