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Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 7:42 AM Category: Blogging, Links, Meryl's Notes Blog 7 comments

This year’s Blog Action Day looks at poverty. Thanks to my daughter, I learned about an innovative product that helps those living in poverty.

When my daughter collected cash gifts, she donated 15% to Darfur to buy Berkeley-Darfur stoves for families. My daughter explains why she did this:

Darfur is a place in Africa where a great deal of genocide and mass murder. Millions have been killed, and the government is causing it. I’d like to see good wishes sent to places like Darfur and the unfortunate who need help. I care about it because I believe everyone should have the option to at least help themselves, and they don’t even have that. I want people to take action and spread the knowledge, even possibly making it more of a grateful nation.

These stoves don’t just help these families, but they’re also more efficient than three-stone fires and clay stoves.

Uses 75 percent less firewood.
Cuts smoke inhalation.
Encloses flames fully to reduce chance of burning down shelters.
Lasts five years — more than most stoves. Only exception is three-stone fire, but that requires much more wood fuel.
Cooks faster than most stoves including three-stone fire.

The facts regarding fuel wood amaze:

7 hours: Number of hours per trip in search of wood fuel. This puts women at risk for rape.
90 percent: Number of refugees selling rations for wood fuel.
50 percent: Number of families missing meals due to lack of wood fuel.

Learn more about The Darfur Stoves Project – Safety. Nutrition. Environment. Hope.