Envirofit International has expanded our mission of innovating smart energy products that improve lives on a global scale by opening our newest office and operations in Lima, Peru. Though it is one of South America’s more economically developed countries, according to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, roughly 10.8 million people in Peru are affected by Household Air Pollution. Many of the those affected are indigenous communities living outside of the country’s more developed urban areas whose way of life has been affected by climate change.
The traditional stoves used inside the homes of indigenous families throughout the Peruvian Amazon bear the familiar signs of Household Air Pollution seen elsewhere in the world. Ash from the fire lit for lunch falls to the floor where it collects on the pile left from breakfast. The walls and ceiling are discolored or blackened by soot. The person tending the flames looks over their family’s meal with watery and bloodshot eyes. It’s the same symptoms that afflict households in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Honduras and elsewhere, but they can begin to be addressed by increased access to improved cookstoves and other clean energy technology.
In addition to these challenges, many indigenous and low-income communities also must adapt to colder temperatures due to shifting global weather patterns. Compounding this issue is reduced access to forests that they rely on for fuel as more trees are cut down for heating and cooking. Because of this, smart energy products like Envirofit cookstoves have resonated with households who still use traditional cooking methods such as mud ovens and three-stone fires. The improved cookstoves allow them to slow deforestation and save time and money by using less fuel.
Along with reaching out to these communities, Envirofit Peru is also working on parallel projects in two different regions with the FASERT program to establish distribution channels and commercial sales partners. Scaling at the right pace to maximize impact is a unique challenge for every new market that Envirofit enters, but we are glad to report that we have partners to help us spread awareness of the benefits of using modern cooking technology.
Envirofit Peru has established successful business relationships with different partners including NGOs, and government programs and micro-finance institutions. Our goal is to maintain these alliances with organizations that share our vision on making clean technologies accessible to everyone thus making positive impacts in their lives, communities, economy and environment.
To learn more about partnering with Envirofit contact partnerships@envirofit.org