Created in October 2009, Eko Ayiti is a Haitian foundation dedicated to the protection of the environment. At Eko Ayiti, we search, test and adapt environmentally-friendly technologies to help reduce deforestation and encourage reforestation in Haiti.
As a local group, we understand the mentality, the history, the culture and the needs of our fellow Haitians so we can help bring sustainable solutions to the Haitian context.
That's how we designed the Eko Ayiti stove, because we believe that we can make a difference in this country. We also make pedagogic documentaries to educate the population on how to manage a harmonious relationship with the environment.
Contact Information
Our Focus
By improving the cooking methods, we intend to help reduce charcoal consumption and its destructive paradigm to help preserve what's left of the forests, sanitize by using dried domestic bio-garbage as fuel instead of wasting it, and improve domestic economy. In the countryside, where they mostly use the 3-stone cooking, the Eko Ayiti stove will help with a more complete combustion and less heat dissipation. In urban areas where charcoal is mostly used, the Eko Ayiti stove can save more than 50% on charcoal, plus it can use briquettes made from garbage and commercial pellets or else in conjunction with the charcoal. Actually, Eko Ayiti stove is very well accepted by both the rural and urban population.
Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas
As the gasifier stoves are different in use than the traditional 3-stone or traditional charcoal stove, they require the users to acquire a new understanding of the pyrolysis (gasification and ignition) and the polluting byproducts, a new practical knowledge. We project to prepare a local documentary (in Haitian Creole) to instruct of the advantages of using our Eko Ayiti efficient stove in the proper way. People have to receive basic combustion principles.
Our stove can be manufactured by trained tinsmiths operating in major cities around the country. Easy to reproduce with our templates, the manufacturing of Eko Ayiti stove can generate jobs and alternate revenues nationwide both in the stove making and combustible markets. With adequate funding, we can deploy hundreds and thousands of stoves around the country in a very short time and instruct the population massively via audiovisual training and communication.
The cooking methods commonly used by the Haitian population are the 3-stone (using wood) and the traditional charcoal stove, none suitable for indoor cooking and both waste precious forest resources. They produce smoke and/or consume the breathable oxygen of a room without proper ventilation. The Eko Ayiti gasifier stove can be used indoor with proper aeration. By using dried domestic waste as fuel, we prevent it from rotting and emitting methane, plus we sanitize and make domestic economies. waste = fuel = savings.
As any indoor combustion pollutes the air in the room and reduces the available oxygen, the stove users must be instructed how to make proper ventilation. Educative material like illustrated booklets (comics, highly visual and audiovisual material can help significantly to a better behavior concerning indoor cooking. We recommend appropriate stove usage training. We recommend Eko Ayiti stove for outdoor or well ventilated indoor kitchens.
Relevant Publications or Studies
We have created an illustrated user manual in native Haitian Creole for the stove owners. We produced a PDF document to show some of our deeds.
Our Contribution to the Partnership
We have distributed a few hundreds of Eko Ayiti stoves. So far most users appreciate it. We can share our field experience, send photos and articles to keep the network informed. Sharing our experience and skills in any other possible way.
