Successful project launch in Cameroon

“Parfait”, “Très bien“, “Succès total “– these are just some of the participant feedbacks on our stakeholder meeting held last week in Bangang, Cameroon. The meeting marked the launching of the ‘Western Cameroon Improved Cookstove Project’ in partnership with a local NGO, ACREST and was attended by more than 150 national and international stakeholders.

During the stove demonstration which compared three-stone fires and improved cookstoves, participants could verify the reduced firewood consumption of the improved cookstove which has high importance in West-Cameroon, the most densely populated region in the country. The high population rate poses great pressure on the local forests, which have been gradually cleared for agricultural activities and for human settlements. Consequently the price of firewood has rocketed in the past years, making families spending more and more on fuel from their very limited budget.

To challenge this situation, the objective of our project is three-fold, as it was explained on the meeting:

• Reduce co2 emission through more efficient firewood use of improved stoves
• Improve livelihoods through a cheaper, more time efficient and healthier cooking practice (the stove emits less smoke and also safer to cook on)
• Make low-carbon technologies widely available in the region through subsidized cookstoves

As the stoves are made from local materials and by local staff, it ensures a truly sustainable process whereby local knowledge and skills are matched with international support and know-how. The participants have been provided the opportunity to purchase the stoves for a new, subsidized price and having sold dozens of stoves immediately after the workshop shows that this new partnership will be providing a long-term solution in areas most in need.

For more information on our multi-country, microscale Gold Standard Program of Activities (mPoA), please visit our website or follow the link: http://www.co2balance.com/news/world-first-for-co2balance-opens-the-door-for-micro-projects-globally-/