According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2.6 billion people cook and heat using polluting open fires or simple stoves fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal (Air Pollution Data Portal, n.d.). This generates high levels of health-damaging Indoor Air Pollution (IAP), such as particulates, tar and carbon monoxide. Because women are primarily responsible for cooking and raising young children, both are disproportionately affected by IAP. For example, the World Health Report (2002) states that in developing countries among the poor, Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality (under 5) and is responsible for up to 33% of all ARI cases. IAP also adversely affects Zimbabwe because of the number of people who live in poor, rural regions. (Rural Population (67% of Total Population…2020) - Zimbabwe | Data, n.d.). A second problem caused by open or traditional heaths is the inefficient use of fuel. Past efforts to reduce IAP have focused on efficient combustion but have not necessarily focused on thermal efficiency of the overall cooking and heating process. As a result, a significant portion of the fuel's energy is lost, leading to increased levels of deforestation. In parallel, people who are faced with the challenge of indoor air pollution are from low-income communities which makes it very difficult for them to afford expensive clean cooking stoves. Most of the existing solution focus only on reduction of Indoor Air Pollution, but fall short on distribution the solution to billions of people who need it.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2.6 billion people cook and heat using polluting open fires or simple stoves fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal (Air Pollution Data Portal, n.d.). This generates high levels of health-damaging Indoor Air Pollution (IAP), such as particulates, tar and carbon monoxide. Because women are primarily responsible for cooking and raising young children, both are disproportionately affected by IAP. For example, the World Health Report (2002) states that in developing countries among the poor, Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality (under 5) and is responsible for up to 33% of all ARI cases. IAP also adversely affects Zimbabwe because of the number of people who live in poor, rural regions. (Rural Population (67% of Total Population…2020) - Zimbabwe | Data, n.d.). A second problem caused by open or traditional heaths is the inefficient use of fuel. Past efforts to reduce IAP have focused on efficient combustion but have not necessarily focused on thermal efficiency of the overall cooking and heating process. As a result, a significant portion of the fuel's energy is lost, leading to increased levels of deforestation. In parallel, people who are faced with the challenge of indoor air pollution are from low-income communities which makes it very difficult for them to afford expensive clean cooking stoves. Most of the existing solution focus only on reduction of Indoor Air Pollution, but fall short on distribution the solution to billions of people who need it.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2.6 billion people cook and heat using polluting open fires or simple stoves fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal (Air Pollution Data Portal, n.d.). This generates high levels of health-damaging Indoor Air Pollution (IAP), such as particulates, tar and carbon monoxide. Because women are primarily responsible for cooking and raising young children, both are disproportionately affected by IAP. For example, the World Health Report (2002) states that in developing countries among the poor, Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality (under 5) and is responsible for up to 33% of all ARI cases. IAP also adversely affects Zimbabwe because of the number of people who live in poor, rural regions. (Rural Population (67% of Total Population…2020) - Zimbabwe | Data, n.d.). A second problem caused by open or traditional heaths is the inefficient use of fuel. Past efforts to reduce IAP have focused on efficient combustion but have not necessarily focused on thermal efficiency of the overall cooking and heating process. As a result, a significant portion of the fuel's energy is lost, leading to increased levels of deforestation. In parallel, people who are faced with the challenge of indoor air pollution are from low-income communities which makes it very difficult for them to afford expensive clean cooking stoves. Most of the existing solution focus only on reduction of Indoor Air Pollution, but fall short on distribution the solution to billions of people who need it.