Improved Cookstoves in Amjopi, Maherpur Amjopi is a historical place that is situated in Maherpur district. Although this district is far forward on cultural and education aspect, but regarding the cooking practice they are back warded. Year after years the women in these areas have been using traditional stoves so that they have been suffering from acute respiratory infection.
Manob Unnayan Kendra (MUK) has been working in these areas since a long time and also ICS partner of VERC. MUK has received training on ICS and technical support from VERC. MUK has organized training on ICS with community people at Amjopi. After the training, a group of women installed ICS at their households and this news have disseminated to the whole communities. As a result, within three to four months, 30 peoples installed ICS in their households at Kotipara in Amjopi and they are using ICS very happily without having any problem. Two training participants named Beauty and Asma informed that they have formed a group consisting of five members. This group is motivating the community people about the Improved Cookstove as the community peoples do not know anything about the health hazards due to Traditional Cookstove. After motivation the community people willing to install ICS at their households and at the same time, they internalized the techniques to install ICS. In this way, the ICS activities are taking place in this community. Recently the representatives from MUK visited Kotipara and found that the community people are getting a lots of benefit by using ICS such as use less fuel, low cost, reduce indoor air pollution etc. Now Beauty and Asma’s major challenge is to be covered 100% ICS coverage village that would be considered as a model village in Bangladesh.
The Improved Cookstoves bring happiness in the rural women of Kotipara and this success will help us to replicate the program elsewhere in Bangladesh.
posted : 2008-01-11 |