The Respirá Tranquila/o con tu Estufa Mejorada campaign began with 3 launches that reached 325,250 people and included 35 communication media, 14 authorities and 19 participations from manufacturers. The campaign, promoted by the Guatemala Sustainable Cookstoves Project which is being financed by the Mitigation Action Facility, seeks to reach 300,000 families to promote the use of clean technologies, such as improved cookstoves; contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through the efficient use and reduction of firewood consumption, which will improve the quality of life in rural communities.
The launching events of the campaign “Respirá Tranquila/o con tu Estufa Mejorada” were attended by municipal and departmental government authorities, representatives of government institutions, community leaders, Community Development Councils (COCODE), traditional and digital media, as well as improved cookstove manufacturers, technical experts, consumers and local population, and representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Alterna. The initiative is part of a MAF Project entitled “Efficient use of fuelwood and alternative fuels in indigenous rural communities in Guatemala”. The Project is implemented by the IDB and Alterna, and aims to improve the quality of life of thousands of Guatemalan families.
The MAF is supporting the Project to develop the “Llamada initiative”, which seeks to promote the use of clean technologies (improved cookstoves) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the efficient use and reduction of firewood consumption, thus improving the quality of life of rural communities in Guatemala. The program is being implemented by Alterna, an organisation that promotes social and environmental entrepreneurship and aims to develop sustainable solutions that promote social wellbeing and environmental conservation.
The Respirá Tranquila/a con tu Estufa Mejorada campaign began in September 2024 and will last until December 2026; it aims to foster public and private partnerships, as well as to bring together various actors to gradually increase public awareness of the issue. It is a comprehensive and continuous campaign through radio, television, print media, social networks and face-to-face activations in the prioritised territories. An important characteristic of the campaign is its cultural pertinence and gender approach, under which most of the messages will be reproduced in 4 Mayan languages: Q’eqchi’, K’iche’, Ixil and Mam.
The social campaign was officially presented in the departmental cities of Cobán (north), Chiquimula (east) and San Marcos (west), on October 22, 24 and 29, respectively. These three departmental cities along with the departments of Quiché and Huehuetenango are the five prioritised departments in a country where an estimated 1.7 million households still use firewood for cooking on open fires, which represents a problem in terms of health, family expenses, excessive expenditure of time (especially by women) and the impact on the environment. The prioritised geographic areas have the highest unsatisfied demand for firewood, corresponding to high population concentration and higher poverty rates.
The 325,250 people were reached through live broadcasts, on-site interviews, traditional media reports, journalists and influencers with thousands of viewers and digital followers.
The invitation addressed to the general population – regardless of gender, age and culture – to participate and contribute to the positive change proposed for the benefit of the most vulnerable families in Guatemala, made echo through hundreds of messages with requests for information on the features, price, models and sales locations of the improved cookstoves.
The events included public openings and family activations in main public spaces such as central plazas and historical monuments. Large stages were set up with live marimba and dance, street theater, a well-received institutional puppet for the children, a mobile unit with a sound system and general handing out of promotional materials. The highlight was provided by the 7 manufacturers who exhibited their improved cookstoves in 19 colorful and tasteful demonstrations for the public at the three launching events.
Jaime Sologuren, IDB energy specialist for Guatemala and Belize, emphasised: “The program works with improved cookstove manufacturers by providing business assistance and technical support, encouraging them to be key actors throughout the process. One of the major constraints to the adoption of improved cookstoves among Guatemalan families is the lack of information about their benefits. Therefore, this campaign will reach thousands of families with relevant messages through various information channels, also emphasising the health problems associated with the use of open fires. As the Inter-American Development Bank, we are pleased with the campaign because it will support hundreds of households, mainly rural areas, to achieve safer and healthier cooking environments”.
Javier Martínez, Alterna’s Programs and Projects Manager, said: “In Guatemala, firewood is the main source of energy for cooking food, especially in rural areas, representing 57% of the national energy matrix, which contributes to deforestation and environmental degradation with a demand for 16 million tons of firewood per year. One of the solutions identified to contribute to the improvement of this problem is the gradual and sustained replacement of open fires with improved cookstoves, capable of saving up to 50% of firewood, which means a daily monetary saving for households”.
Improved cookstoves are the cheapest and easiest solution to face this delicate situation. For more than 20 years, there have been manufacturers of improved cookstoves in Guatemala; they are entrepreneurs who are constantly working on the innovation of different models that can reduce the several damages caused by the use of open fires for cooking.
The campaign includes actions focused on behavioral change, impact and communication. Martha Tax, expert advisor to Helvetas Guatemala, explained: “We intend to bring the supply of improved cookstoves closer to a demand that is aware of the positive effects of this change on the health of women, children, the family, the community and the environment”.
Petrona Cedillo, community leader and user of an improved cookstove, said: “I never thought that a change, let’s say a small one, could bring me so many benefits. At first there was resistance in my house, my mother did not want to know about changing her stove, but now that we no longer live with smoke, that our eyes no longer cry, we realised the harm we were doing to ourselves. We live better and save money too, because it takes less firewood and less time to cook”.
An improved cookstove comes from a design based on a combustion chamber created to conserve the heat of the fire, with a sealed structure that includes a chimney that ejects most of the smoke out of the house. This design also has a significant impact on saving firewood, which increases the amount of money that each family can spend on other needs such as education, clothing and others.
Expected impacts
- Reach approximately 300,000 families through a communication campaign, of which 25,000 will be part of behavioral change actions.
- Promote the adoption of improved cookstoves (ICS) in rural and peri-urban communities in Guatemala, emphasising the benefits in health, economic savings and environmental sustainability, increasing information and knowledge about the advantages of ICS.
- Engage community leaders, local institutions and the private sector to ensure effective outreach and broad adoption, thereby improving the quality of life of Guatemalan people impacted by the campaign.
- Support the transformation of the sector, strengthening Guatemala’s resilience to climate change and energy challenges.
Upcoming actions
Continuing the campaign implementation, in 2025 it will develop a series of face-to-face activities in the prioritised municipalities, sharing its main messages oriented to the adoption of an improved cookstove to take care of the family’s health, the promotion of economic and time savings, as well as the promotion of environmental sustainability in Guatemala. At the same time, the campaign will continue in traditional and digital media focused on the members of the families located in these territories.“Respirá Tranquila/a con tu Estufa Mejorada” will continue to implement communication and behavioral change actions, expanding its reach to key audiences such as hardware dealers (who serve as intermediaries and boost distribution chains) and others in the supply chain.
Read more on the Project’s dedicated page on the MAF website here. Visit the Project’s own website here.