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In nearly all rural high-Andean communities of Peru, houses are built with local materials, and food preparation takes place indoors using open-fire stoves fueled by firewood or dung from South American camelids.
Cooking in these conditions requires great effort from those tasked with preparing meals for their families. Nevertheless, this sacrifice is faced with determination and good spirits, undoubtedly a clear demonstration of love for their dearest ones. Unfortunately, the practice of using open fires inside homes for cooking brings numerous health hazards and safety risks to those whom one seeks to protect and care for. It also negatively impacts family finances and the environment.
The risk of burns due to accidents or improper handling of kitchen utensils, as well as the unhygienic, disorganized, and soot-saturated environments where food is prepared and consumed, mainly affects children. Likewise, the presence of combustion smoke inside homes severely impacts family health. As a result, many of these families suffer from respiratory problems and eye infections; this issue is also directly linked to anemia and chronic malnutrition in children, as well as the later development of serious illnesses such as cancer.
Additionally, the inefficient use of fuel, due to significant energy loss from open-fire cooking, further harms family finances and the environment, as fuel must be acquired more frequently.
Fundación Wiese's Humanitarian Aid Program annually allocates a fixed amount of money to activate and promote various humanitarian aid campaigns, usually aimed at addressing emergencies and disasters. However, this year, 2019, we decided to invest the aforementioned fund in what is intended to be the beginning of a new multi-year humanitarian aid project. Through this initiative, we seek to bring together generous individuals and institutions who wish to join our mission to help change the fate of Peruvian families living in extreme vulnerability.
The initiative begins with the construction and installation of certified improved stoves in 74 households in the high-Andean communities of Calca and Lares, in the Cusco region. It also includes training families in the proper use and maintenance of the stoves, providing educational materials on best practices in food preparation, and sharing nutritious recipes based on local products.
The 74 families selected as beneficiaries for this first phase of “Cooking for a Better Life” are members of the Communal Guilds of Llama Herders of the Urubamba Mountain Range. The improved stoves installed in their homes recognize their efforts to work sustainably to care for the mountains, as well as to preserve and share their ancestral culture and knowledge with society, reviving the use of llamas as pack animals.
At the Fundación Wiese, we work to ensure that better citizens build the Peru of the future. If you would like to learn more about the Humanitarian Aid Program and our previous campaigns, please visit the following link: fundacionwiese.org/programas/programa-ayuda-humanitaria
