Healthy Homes
Cooking over an open fire inside the home has many disadvantages for rural families in Totonicapán. Food is easily spilled and mothers and young children are often burned. Over time, soot develops inside the home and can accumulate on clothing and bedding which must be washed by hand. Many academic studies in Guatemala and elsewhere have demonstrated the impact of cook-stove installation on family health. Pneumonia remains a leading cause of child-under five deaths in Guatemala. Indoor air pollution is the single largest environmental risk factor for pneumonia and other respiratory infections.
A typical "Mayan three rock" stove inside the home.
The combination of unsanitary conditions and chronic malnutrition causes nearly 50 percent of children under the age of five in Guatemala to suffer from both physical and mental stunting. This is the highest rate in the Americas and the fourth highest in the world (learn more). Improved wood-burning stoves, latrines, cement floors, and rainwater catchment systems all have a proven track record of improving the basic health and sanitation situation for rural families in Guatemala.
Women and young children spend up to seven hours a day inside smoke-filled kitchens.
Working with local women’s groups and non-governmental organizations, Mujerave aids in the construction of small infrastructure projects, like stoves, that enormously improve family health.
Mujerave's Founder trains local women to build their own stoves.
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With families as large as nine, each stove impacts many lives.
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Our Stove Design
Mujerave's Founder was formerly a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. He has overseen the construction of hundreds of similarly designed stoves. Download our design here.
