HELPS has been working in poverty reduction in Guatemala for over 20 years. We believe that health is one of the major components of poverty reduction programs. Respiratory illnesses and burns resulting from the cultural use of household energy are major contributors to the despair of poverty. HELPS has a program of stove manufacture and distribution in Guatemala that significantly reduces health and environmental problems. We are currently supplying stoves to 33 NGOs in 16 of the 22 departments of Guatemala for their community development projects. The HELPS stove reduces wood usage by 70%, has a chimney that remove the emmisions from the homes. HELPS has an extensive training program both for the user and for the NGOs using the stoves in their community development projects. Click here to learn about HELPS International's work with Retained Heat Cookers in Guatemala.
Contact Information
Our Focus
HELPS is working in partnership with other NGOs in Guatemala by supplying cooking stoves for their community development projects. The majority of these projects are in the extreme rural areas and those areas experiencing the greatest poverty.
Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas
The greatest barrier to converting the cultural way of cooking to healthier ways is the lack of training. The women are fearful of new techniques that might fail. The training must be so complete as to completely instill conficence that the new techniques will work every time.
HELPS distributes stoves through our own community development programs and provides stoves to 33 other NGOs working throughout Guatemala. Market development is leveraged by holding stove workshops available to all the NGOs working in Guatemala. Each of these NGOs can communicate with the villages in which they have already established trust.
The technology is tested using the protocal developed by Aprovecho and University of Berkley as standard methods of evaluating stove performance.
Helps moniters on a sampling basis the CO and smoke particale using the HOBO CO analyzer and the particle measuring equipement developed by the University of Berkley. Sampling is done in all areas of Guatemala in which we work.
Relevant Publications or Studies
None noted
Our Contribution to the Partnership
HELPS is particularlly interested in an intergrated approach to poverty reduction. Respritory health is only one component but our experience in intergrating health with economic developement, education, infastructure construction can be utilized by others to insure total sustainability of poverty reduction. HELPS has 20+ years working in intergrated poverty reduction and would like to work with any organization in advancing their and our programs.
