Rocket Stoves

I took four ladies from the surrounding community into a rocket stove workshop in Port au Prince for two days where they learned about these efficient, resource saving stoves. Most people in the tent city next to the orphanage use firewood that they spend a lot of time gathering to cook their food. The lucky ones that have a little money buy charcoal. These two practices are largely responsible for the deforestation of 98% of Haiti's native forests as people fight to survive. The smoke inhalation created by these fires is responsible for millions of deaths worldwide each year. Simple rocket stoves, which double cooking efficiency and reduce smoke production by 80%, have done so much good in the world since their introduction, but so many people still don't know about them and waste time and money and fuel with the current inefficient systems.

Here are some alternative fuel briquettes made out of paper, sawdust, and bagass (a sugar cane waste product). All of these ingredients are abundant and free here in Haiti. We'd like to start up a production facility of both simple rocket stoves and briquettes at The Hope of Haiti school to distribute in the community and help make us sustainable. One briquette cooks food for three people.

It only took about 8-10 sticks to get a pot with enough rice and beans to feed 100 boiling. The Paradigm Project is donating one of these industrial rocket stoves to us for our participation in the workshop. The ladies loved the stoves. Who wouldn't if it enables you to stand closer to the food without feeling the heat of the fire, don't get smoke in your eyes and lungs, and cook your food faster with less fuel.

This is Moussahin, from Morrocco. He is a scientist that has been developing and distributing rocket stoves for many years all over the world. Since he has already been on assignment in 9 different poverty stricken countries this year alone, I asked him which is the worst off. Without hesitation he said that Haiti is the worst place to be right now. This surprised me, but his explanation made sense. He said that many other countries have an average daily income similar to or worse than Haiti's, but that $1 or $2 a day will go a lot farther in those countries. Everything is so expensive here. It's hard to find anything that doesn't cost more than it would in the states. I don't understand it. I'm used to traveling the third world and spending next to nothing, but that's not the case here. Very few products are produced here in Haiti and tariffs are so outrageous. Everything is marked up when it comes into the country. The only thing that's cheap in Haiti is labor, which makes getting by extremely difficult.