The Darfur Stoves Project (San Francisco, CA) is a nonprofit project to provide specially made wood stoves to the Darfur refugees in western Sudan, numbering an estimated 2-million plus displaced people. The stoves were developed by Dr. Ashok Gadgill and a team of engineering students at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with enhancements from Engineers Without Borders.

The fuel-efficient stoves improve personal safety, food security, environmental impact and provides jobs in Darfur.

Up to 80% of families in some regions around Darfur miss meals due to lack of wood. Many women may spend 7 hours a day to find wood for their fires, often risking rape or mutilation while foraging for firewood hours from the safety of their shelters.

What are the benefits of the Berkeley-Darfur stoves?

SAFETY - The Berkeley-Darfur stoves are 4 times more efficient than traditional 3-stone fires, and 2 times more efficient than clay stoves. The Berkeley-Darfur stove fully encloses the the open flames and reduces the the danger of burning down a straw-and-stick shelter. The stove also produces less smoke and reduces smoke inhalation in cramped shelters.

BETTER NUTRITION - Many refugees miss meals each week due to scarcity of fuel wood for cooking. Many others sell part of their food rations to purchase wood for fires. By using less wood for cooking, it permits refugees to cook more meals with the same amount of wood.

INCOME POTENTIAL - Many women spend 7 hours per trek to gather firewood. By reducing this time searching for firewood, the women gain time to pursue income earning activities. Additionally, the Berkeley-Darfur stoves are designed so that they can easily be manufactured in Darfur with simple tools … providing much needed income to women in the Darfur region.

DURABILITY - The Berkeley-Darfur Stove is designed to last a minimum of 5 years, whereas a clay stove’s lifespan can be as short as four months.

The Darfur Stoves Project works with many local organizations in the Darfur Region. Plans are in the works to expand to Chad in the near future.

Information on the stove and donation opportunities are available on their website.