Health and Poverty Effects of a Large-scale Cookstove Initiative in Rwanda
Summary
Approximately half the world's population uses solid fuels (wood, animal dung, coal, biomass) as their principal fuel for lighting, cooking, and heating. Dependence on these fuels and traditional cooking technologies is responsible for a host of health issues, including acute respiratory infection among children under five, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults, low birth weight, and other negative health outcomes. As a result, household air pollution and ambient particulate matter are two of the most important contributors to the global disease burden. Improved cooking technology, if used correctly and taken to scale, has the potential for significantly reducing the global disease burden. This project will evaluate the impact of a private sector cookstove and fuel distribution intervention on exposure to airborne pollutants, health and poverty. Inyenyeri, a private social entrepreneurship venture, implements a fuel-side cookstove venture in Western Rwanda using the Mimi Moto stove. This study will assess the exposure to particulate matter, health and poverty among households who adopt the Mimi Moto stove.