Making A Difference In Darfur

by Daniel Wolf

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At a cost of about one dollar a person, the International Lifeline Fund (“Lifeline”) is making a dramatic and profound difference in the lives of tens of thousands of displaced people in Darfur.
Since time immemorial, the villagers of that region have been cooking their food on an open fire. As the population has grown and the demand for wood has surged, this has had a devestating effect on the environment, which has, in turn, contributed to global warming.
Cooking on an open fire is also hazardous to human health. It greatly increases the risk of respiratory infections (which is the most prolific killer in Africa) and results in burn injuries to small children.
The shortage of wood has become so acute in the areas surrounding Darfur’s camps for the internally displaced that women have to spend their entire day searching for it. The risk to these women of rape and other forms of assault during wood collection has been well documented.
For the past year, Lifeline has been teaching women how to make a super-efficient, insulated clay stove that can reduce the amount of wood needed to cook by 60% and that can decrease smoke emissions by even greater amounts. in so doing, this stove is protecting the environment, improving health and livelihoods, and saving lives.
At a cost of a little more than a dollar a stove, there is no better way to make a difference in Darfur.