Qori Q’oncha – Improved Cookstoves Diffusion Programme

Each year Coclico partners with Native Energy to track its annual in-house carbon usage and offsets this amount by investing in international renewable energy projects. While every project is worthy, this year we chose to invest in the Qori Q'oncha Improved Cookstoves Diffusion Programme in Peru. We felt especially attracted to this project because it has a particularly positive impact on the lives of women.

COOL-0145_Mirador(Audio) from Jodi Manning on Vimeo.

The improved cookstoves are constructed with local material by local people. The new stoves emit less greenhouse gas emissions compared to the original stove, helping to bring down global emissions. 

Qori Q’oncha Improved Cookstove Program from Jodi Manning on Vimeo.

The following information comes directly from Gold Standard:

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

More than 105,000 improved cookstoves have been installed and are benefiting more than 490,000 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.

Project impacts and 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. These stoves are more efficient and therefore reduce CO2 emissions and deforestation.

Improved cookstoves are also great tools for women empowerment, allowing them to cook more quickly, but also to reduce the chore of wood and freeing up time for the education of children.

Here are some results of the programme:

• Enabled 107,812 families to gain access to these technologies.
• Reduced carbon emissions by nearly one million tonnes of CO2
• Reduced an average of 1.9 tonnes in wood consumption, which corresponds to reducing wood consumption by 39% (in Peru).
• Saved up to $39 a month in fuel expenditure, or six hours time for wood collection.
• A drastic reduction in smoke exposure in 100% of families thanks to the installation of a chimney.
• A satisfactory rate of 99% for these technologies.