Climate Action Benin Project #71907

Lita Stoves: Urgent Action for Forests and Women

by ONG Education et Developpement

Project Report | Jul 17, 2026
Lita Stoves: Clean Cooking for Women and Forests i

By Camille B. SODJI | Project Leader

1. A Project Ready to Change Lives

Across rural communities in Benin, thousands of women continue to cook over traditional open fires every day. This reality exposes families to harmful smoke, accelerates deforestation, and forces women and girls to spend countless hours collecting firewood instead of pursuing education, work, or other productive activities.

The Lita Stoves project was created to change this reality.

Although project funding has not yet been released, ONG ÉDUCATION ET DÉVELOPPEMENT (ONGED) has chosen not to wait. We have already begun laying the groundwork so that every dollar received can be transformed into immediate action once funding becomes available.

2. Preparing for Immediate Impact

Rather than remaining inactive, our team has invested significant time and effort in preparing the project for successful implementation.

Community leaders, local authorities, and women's groups across the target villages have already been engaged. Their enthusiasm confirms that cleaner, safer, and more efficient cooking solutions are urgently needed.

Training materials have been carefully developed to ensure that women will not only learn how to build Lita Stoves, but also become ambassadors capable of passing this knowledge on to others within their communities.

At the same time, local artisans and future community trainers have been identified, creating a strong local foundation that will allow the project to expand rapidly once implementation begins.

To ensure accountability, baseline information and project monitoring tools have also been prepared so that every stage of implementation can be carefully documented and every outcome measured.

3. Current Financial Situation

As of today, no project funds have yet been received through GlobalGiving.

Nevertheless, our organization has continued investing its own limited resources to maintain momentum and prepare the project.

Everything is now in place except the financial resources needed to move from preparation to action.

Every contribution received will immediately support training women, constructing improved cookstoves, reducing pressure on forests, and improving the health of families who currently depend on smoky traditional fires.

4. Challenges—and Our Commitment

The absence of funding remains the principal obstacle delaying implementation.

Despite this challenge, our commitment has never wavered. We continue engaging communities, strengthening local partnerships, and refining implementation plans so that no time will be lost when funding becomes available.

Introducing a new cooking technology also requires trust and community acceptance. To ensure lasting adoption, respected local leaders and trained community facilitators will accompany families throughout the process, demonstrating the practical health, economic, and environmental benefits of the Lita Stove.

5. What Happens Next

Once funding is received, implementation will begin immediately.

The project will:

select and register women beneficiaries;
procure locally available materials and equipment;
train community-based trainers;
train 1,000 women to build improved Lita Stoves;
support the construction of 3,000 improved cookstoves;
monitor adoption and impact in participating communities; and
document measurable improvements in household health, fuelwood consumption, and environmental protection.

6. Measuring Real Change

Success will not simply be measured by the number of stoves constructed.

It will be measured by women spending less time gathering firewood, children breathing cleaner air, forests under less pressure, families saving money on fuel, and communities embracing a cleaner and more sustainable way of cooking.

Key indicators will include:

1,000 women trained;
3,000 improved cookstoves constructed and in use;
significant reductions in household firewood consumption;
lower greenhouse gas emissions;
improved indoor air quality; and
high levels of beneficiary satisfaction and long-term adoption.

7. Looking Ahead

The Lita Stoves project is no longer just an idea—it is a carefully planned initiative with strong community support and an experienced implementation team ready to act.

What is missing today is not commitment, expertise, or local ownership.

It is the financial support needed to transform preparation into measurable impact.

Every contribution brings us closer to healthier families, empowered women, protected forests, and more resilient rural communities across Benin.

We are grateful to GlobalGiving and to every supporter who believes that lasting change begins with practical, community-driven solutions.

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Mar 26, 2026
A Pivotal Moment for the "Lita" Project - Thank You for Being at the Heart of This Journey

By Camille B. SODJI | Project Leader

First and foremost, please allow us to express, with complete sincerity, our profound and unwavering gratitude to you. Your support for the "Lita" improved cookstove project in Benin is far more than an act of generosity—it is an act of faith. The trust you place in us, day after day, is the very breath that animates our mission and illuminates our path through the most challenging moments.

Thanks to you—and you alone—we work with conviction to protect Benin's forests and safeguard the health of thousands of women and children. These are two inextricably linked causes, two pillars upon which the future of entire communities rests. Receiving your support is an honor we never take lightly.

Where We Stand Today — With Full Transparency

Because you deserve honest, complete, and sincere information, we share this progress update with the deepest respect for your trust.

Currently, the phase involving cookstove construction and women's training is on temporary hold. Our teams remain fully engaged; schools with canteens and partner communities are ready to move forward; and enthusiasm on the ground is genuine and palpable. However, we are facing an initial funding challenge that is delaying the operational launch in the field.

Why This Delay?

The current economic climate has made access to seed funding more complex than anticipated. In response, we made a deliberate choice we stand firmly behind: never to begin halfway. Compromising the quality of the cookstoves or the strength of the training would betray the 1,000 women we aim to empower—and betray the trust you have placed in us. What we seek is real, lasting impact worthy of the goals we share together.

What We Are Doing Now

Far from remaining idle, we are transforming this period into a strategic lever for preparation and strengthening. Every day counts, and we are using it with discipline and rigor:

• We are finalizing beneficiary selection and sourcing local materials—particularly clay—to ensure everything is ready to launch as soon as resources are secured.

• We are adapting and intensifying our fundraising strategy to reach the target needed for launch, with renewed commitment and determination.

• We are strengthening relationships with our community partners so that the first day of operations fully reflects the hope you carry with us.

The Urgency We Bear, For You and With You

We feel the weight of this urgency every day. Each day without a "Lita" cookstove means more wood consumed from dwindling forests, more smoke inhaled by children and women whose health depends on cleaner air. That is why our determination remains unwavering and our vision steadfast.

By 2035, we aim to equip 30,000 Beninese households with these improved cookstoves. We hold firmly to this goal—not out of stubbornness, but because you believe in it as deeply as we do. This shared faith obligates us, in the noblest sense of the word.

How You Can Make a Difference Today

In this decisive phase, your voice is as valuable as your generosity. Here's how you can act right now:

• Talk about "Lita" with those around you—family, colleagues, your network. Your recommendation is a powerful key to expanding our circle of support and reaching new donors.

• Share our mission on your social media. Raising awareness about deforestation and health challenges in Benin is itself an act of impact—and every share matters.

• If you are able to renew or increase your donation, know that every contribution, no matter the size, brings a Beninese family closer to a healthier, safer, and more sustainable daily life.

We will continue to keep you updated regularly, even when visible progress on the ground is limited, because transparency is the foundation of our relationship with you. It admits no compromise.

Thank you for your patience, your trust, and your unwavering loyalty. Together, we turn this challenge into a step forward, not an obstacle. Together, we move forward—and every step we take, we take thanks to you.

Support the "Lita" Project—because every cookstove matters, and every donation, every share, makes a difference.

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Dec 9, 2025
Still Awaiting Support to Launch "Lita" Improved Cookstoves

By Camille B. SODJI | Project Leader

1. Local Context and Progress Status

Months have passed since this microproject was published on GlobalGiving, and we have not yet received any funding. However, on the ground in the Couffo Department (Benin, AFRICA), our team has never stopped preparing for its implementation.

In several public primary schools, thousands of children benefit daily from meals provided by the school canteens we support. These meals are essential: they improve attendance, learning, and child health. Yet, the cooks—often volunteers or low-wage women—must still cook over open wood fires. They are exposed to toxic smoke that harms their health, all while accelerating the already alarming deforestation in the region.

Similarly, the rural women's groups we work with (Domonhoué, Kpodaha Centre, Solouhoué, Avédjin) process large quantities of cassava, oil, or fritters every day. Their dependence on wood increases their expenses, their workload, and their exposure to respiratory risks.

2. A Project Meeting Real and Urgent Needs

The introduction of "Lita" improved cookstoves is a perfect fit for this environment. This project aims to simultaneously:

Protect women's health by reducing their direct and prolonged contact with harmful smoke;
Preserve the forest in Benin (Africa), a vital resource that is being depleted by domestic wood harvesting.

This is not about creating a new system, but rather strengthening structures that are already active: school canteens, women's cooperatives, and village solidarity networks. These Lita cookstoves will improve local initiatives that are already functioning but need technical and material support to become safer and more sustainable.

3. Preparations Completed Despite Lack of Funding

While awaiting the first donations, we have:

Selected 100 schools whose canteens can immediately benefit from Lita stoves;
Mobilized 4 women's groups ready to participate in practical training;
Established a partnership with local female potters, experts in crafting the necessary clay components;
Prepared a demonstration protocol including "before/after" wood consumption measurement, as well as collecting testimonials from future users.

Our teams are ready: the beneficiaries, local partners, and artisans are simply waiting for the financial resources to begin.

4. What We Will Launch Upon Receipt of First Donations

As soon as the first funds are received, we will immediately launch:

a. Two pilot workshops: one in a school and one in a women's group;

b. The manufacturing and distribution of approximately 200 Lita cookstoves, accompanied by practical training and awareness sessions;

c. Complete documentation (photos, testimonials, comparative data) to inform GlobalGiving and every donor of the real impact of their contribution.

5. A Heartfelt Appeal to Donors

We sincerely thank GlobalGiving for the visibility the platform provides. Even without donations so far, this opportunity allows us to continue raising awareness, mobilizing, and strengthening project preparation.

Today, we are issuing a warm and urgent appeal: we need you.

Every donation, no matter how small, can kickstart this project and concretely transform the lives of hundreds of women and children in the Couffo region.

One Lita cookstove means less wood burned,
Less smoke inhaled,
Less time lost gathering wood,
And more forest preserved for future generations.

We invite everyone to take action today.

Your donation is never just symbolic: it immediately becomes a tool for health, environmental protection, and dignity for the rural communities we serve.

Thank you for giving. Thank you for acting. Thank you for making this change possible.

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