The past year may have had more than its fair share of challenges, but it has also been filled with successful ventures and new beginnings for StoveTeam. Today we're sharing ten of this year's biggest wins!
Hearth Industry Partnership
In 2019 StoveTeam began partnering with BBQ and stove distributors across North America. By including the option to donate to StoveTeam with the purchase of their products, these businesses have been able to donate over 250 stoves so far!
Craig Gutowski is the business owner who came up with the idea. He recently wrote a blog article for StoveTeam on how he did it!
Classes for Clean Cooking
Last year an 8th grade Spanish class in Idaho learned about StoveTeam and decided to take action. They raised over $1,000 by holding a fundraiser and a bake sale!
We want to inspire more teachers to do the same, so we created online Spanish lessons that anyone can use to learn about Central America and StoveTeam's work.
Portions of the lessons are even being featured by popular online textbook AdiósTextbook! Do you know a teacher? Let them know about these lessons!
Emergency Food Aid Continues
Thanks to your support, we have been able to continue providing emergency food aid to workers in all of our partner factories.
We are working closely with our partners to help them through COVID-19. We are preparing to hit the ground running once countries open up.
Coronavirus cases are currently rising faster in Latin America than anywhere else in the world.
Over 2 Billion Meals Served
Did you know that each of our cookstoves is used by an average family of 7.5 people? These large families mean the total number of meals each stove cooks during its life adds up fast.
To date we estimate that the 76,300 cookstoves distributed by our partner factories have prepared almost 2 billion meals, all while protecting families from burns and lung disease!
StoveTeam Carbon Offsets
Cookstoves are one of the most effective ways to offset your carbon emissions. Each stove reduces CO2 emissions by 10.5 tons, equivalent to half of the average American's yearly footprint.
StoveTeam now offers the ability to offset your carbon emissions directly through our website. We're proud that Betsy Teutsch, author of 100 Under $100: One Hundred Tools for Empowering Global Women recently wrote an article about this program!
We're building better stoves than ever
When Nancy Hughes founded StoveTeam, she refused to settle for anything less than a stove that was portable, built locally, and great for cooking local foods. This dedication to supporting the needs of the people we serve continues today.
Today, most stoves distributed by our partner factories include chimneys, and an increasing number have multiple burners, so people can cook multiple things at once.
We have provided over 40 institutional stoves
Two years ago, StoveTeam developed a large stove for use in institutions such as schools and hospitals. Today, our partner factories have distributed over 40 of these stoves, which are used by school staff to cook meals for students.
The donation of these stoves is often accompanied by an educational program where someone from the factory holds assemblies and hands-on events where students learn about the dangers of open-fire cooking.
Johana del Socorro Díaz González
Earlier this year, Doña Johana purchased an Ecocina cookstove from StoveTeam's partner factory Avanza in Nicaragua. Factory owner Elida sent us this photo and Johana's story because she said the whole family was so glad to receive the stove!
Now that the kitchen is smoke-free, the family can safely spend time with Johana while she cooks, Johana doesn't have to worry about inhaling smoke all day long, and the family won’t have to purchase so much wood every day.
It’s amazing to think that this change is made possible by one $50 cookstove, and that the work we’re doing together is making this story come true for thousands of people every year!
Donate for "free" with Amazon Smile
Did you know that with one easy and free step, every purchase you make through Amazon can benefit StoveTeam? It’s true, and we're starting to see the benefits thanks to everyone who has already done this!
Go to smile.amazon.com and choose StoveTeam as your charity, then bookmark smile.amazon.com and go to that link every time you want to purchase from Amazon. You won't pay anything extra, but StoveTeam will get a percentage from your purchases!
Clean Cooking is a "Webby" Honoree
Last year the Clean Cooking Alliance launched a campaign called "Clean Cooking Is..." to raise awareness for the dangers of open fire cooking.
They enlisted the help of celebrities like Julia Roberts, and the movement began to grow! This year we're proud that the campaign has gained even more recognition as an honoree in the 2019 Webby awards, a prize for excellence on the Internet presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.