Background

The MICROSOL initiative, based in Lima, Peru, is coordinating the Qori Q’oncha improved cookstove project to distribute cookstoves across the country. 

The goal of this project is to replace traditional three stone or terracotta stoves with improved cookstoves constructed with local materials by local people. Each new stove emits less greenhouse gases than the original stoves, helping to bring down global emissions. 

About the project

This project helps vulnerable families in rural regions across Peru gain access to energy and cooking solutions that are better for their health, cheaper to run and require less firewood. 

Firewood is a limited natural resource, the use of which contributes to deforestation and contributes to climate change. By switching to improved cookstoves, the demand for firewood has been reduced by on average 1.9 tonnes of wood, which equates to reducing wood consumption by 39% in Peru. 

What’s more, the smoke produced by the original stoves is harmful to the health of people spending long periods of time around them, particularly women who are responsible for cooking. The new stoves reduce smoke exposure, therefore improving living conditions and health. 

To date, more than 140,000 improved cookstoves have been installed, benefiting approximately 600,000 people living in poverty.

Qori Q’oncha was the first ever Gold Standard PoA for Cookstoves to become Gold Standard certified and issue credits. It was also acknowledged with a PCIA special achievement award for meeting social and behaviour needs and was recognised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the best solution in Peru for access to carbon finance in the framework of a regional initiative in Latin America.

This project is certified to the highest level by Gold Standard, as approved by the UN. Read more about Gold Standard’s certification process. 

Cost (USD / tonne of CO2e): $15 (read more about how this is calculated)

The impacts and benefits of this project: 

Environmental benefits:

• The more efficient cookstoves reduce CO2 emissions and deforestation 
• Nearly 2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions prevented 

Social and health benefits:

• The improved cookstoves distributed in the framework of the Qori Q’oncha programme are equipped with a chimney to ensure smoke is vented outside of the house.
• Improved cookstoves are also great tools for the empowerment of women allowing them to cook more quickly, reducing the chore of wood collecting, and consequently freeing up time for the education of children.
• On average $39 / month saved in fuel expenditure per family
• 141,407 families helped to date by the project

Sustainable Development Goals

One of the requirements of Gold Standard certification is that the projects meet at least 3 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, of which one is climate action. This means that as well as fighting climate change by offsetting carbon emissions, the projects your money is supporting contribute to sustainable development for eco-systems and communities around the world. 

The goals met by this project are: 

3. Good health and well-being – Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development 

13. Climate action

15. Life on land – Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

Read more about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

Your impact

You can see a record of our donation to this project on our public ledger. You can also view global contributions to this project on Gold Standard’s impact registry. 

Thanks to the contributions of our members, we are reducing carbon emissions for a more sustainable future.