Project objective is to reduce green house gas emissions leading to global warming.

Activities to be carried out under project:
Introduction of smokeless stoves by holding awareness workshops.
Training of women in making fuel efficient stoves and blacksmiths in making chimneys and, doors and dampers for the stoves.
Training of women in maintenance of smokeless stoves.

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:
Majority of the households of the union council will benefit from the project. The Kabir Pur Cluster, a grassroots level organization, has linkages with the clusters of surrounding union councils and hence could help them adopt the technology, once it is successfully introduced in the Kabir Pur union council.

The rural women and girls will be the primary beneficiaries of the project. They will also be the major participants of the project.
Males will also benefit from the project when the fuel consumption pattern will shift from traditional to improved one. It has economical implications.

Anticipated results of project:

With the introduction of these stoves the amount of fuel wood consumed will be reduced resulting in lower GHG emissions and savings in biomass.
Health hazards created due to the use of inferior quality firewood will be reduced. Women, who are exposed to smoke for prolonged periods when they are engaged in cooking, will get a relief. Incidence of smoke exposure related disease like Tuberculosis and Eye Diseases would decrease.
Cooking will become efficient resulting in the decreased workload of women.
Dependency of the poor on rich landlords for the provision of fuel wood will be reduced which might lead to their social empowerment.
Introduction of smokeless stoves will reduce the pollution produced by the burning of poor quality firewood.
Storage of fuel-wood is a problem for villagers and smokeless stoves will solve this problem too.
Cost of transportation of fuel-wood will be saved.

BACKGROUND

Kabirpur Cluster

Kabirpur cluster came into existence in November 1999. The Community Organizations of the union council fostered by PRSP are the members of the cluster. The cluster was organized to address the union council level issues or problems that could not be addressed by the Community Organizations individually and required joint effort by all the COs.

Structure of the Cluster

The structure of the cluster is as follow:

1. General body
All the CDs of the union council are the member of the cluster and are represented in the cluster by their spokesmen usually the president or manger. In decision-making, all the member CDs can cast one vote. The general body discusses the issues brought to the notice of the cluster and workout the workable solutions. Currently 19 CDs of the Kabir Pur Union Council are the members of the cluster. Female CDs of the union councils have also started to take part in the cluster activities.

2. Speaker
General body elects the speaker of the cluster. He is responsible for:

Arranging and managing the cluster meetings
Ensures discipline during the meeting
Prepares the agenda of the meeting
Develops linkages with the service providing agencies

3. Deputy Speaker
General body elects the speaker of the cluster. H e is responsible for:

He acts as the speaker of the cluster in the absence of the speaker
He is responsible for recording the proceedings and decisions of the cluster
He also keeps the attendance record of the cluster members.

4. finance secretary
General body elects the finance secretary.

He is responsible for the management of the financial matters of the cluster.

5. Secretary Information
General body elects the secretary in formation.

He is responsible for the dissemination of messages to the members of CO about all the developments related to the activities.

Structure of the social activists

Every Community Organization (CO) has a social activist and there are many CCs in the village. The members of the cluster are all social activists. The office bearers i.e. the president and manager are usually social activist. So social activists of the CO and some are also the member of the union council cluster.

The cluster meeting is held once a month on the date decided by the general body of the cluster. However special meetings are also called whenever needed.

Achievements of the Cluster

Following are the major achievements of the cluster.
Linkage with Registration Department
Union Councils Kabir Pur has a very low literacy rate and majority of poor had no national identity cards because they were not able to properly fill the application forms and complete other formalities. The issue was raised in the cluster meeting and it was decided that registration department would be contacted to arrange a field camp for this purpose. The registration department agreed and the cluster arranged a field camp where the application forms and other formalities were completed at the spot. The identity cards were issued within a week. Many activists, who have learnt how to complete the application forms and other formalities, now guide their fellow villagers in getting the National Identity Cards.

Khuley Kacharey (open forum)
The cluster arranged a Khuley Kachery to bring all the problems of the union council to the notice of the district management. Deputy Commissioner accompanied by the Assistant Commissioner and heads of other departments attended the Kachery. The Deputy Commissioner ensured full support of the district management and other departments for the cluster. He announced that 50 sewing machines would be provided for the vocational center to be established by the cluster. He also promised one million
rupees for a road and a grant for the school building of a community school i.e agreed to arrange 10 licenses for the CO members to run petroleum agencies.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE is to reduce Green House Emissions

PROJECT PURPOSE: Increased efficiency of wood burning stoves.

RESULTS:

1. Reduction in the use of fuel wood for cooking purpose
People use cotton sticks as fuel wood for cooking and other domestic fuel purposes in the target area. After the crop harvest, the cotton sticks are stored and used as fuel. Cotton sticks are a very inefficient fuel source and hence consume a lot of time during cooking and other domestic consumption. This results in increased workload of the women.

The Smokeless Stove is fuel-efficient and it uses half as much fuel-wood as compared to the traditional stove. With the introduction of Smokeless stove in the local community, gathering fuel wood from the area will continue, however, the total amount collected in any given time period will be targeted to be lessened so that the pressure for fuel wood in the area is released.

2- Reduction in the amount of harmful gas emissions from open fire cooking

The Smokeless stove generates heat in a smaller area and is well insulated by mud and brick enclave resulting in a smaller amount of fuel wood needed to generate the same amount of heat in an open fire. The lesser amount of smoke resulting from a smokeless stove compared to open fire cooking reduces the amount of harmful gas emissions including carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, contributing to the Green House Effect. Cotton crop is sprayed with pesticides and some of these pesticides have residual effects too. Using cotton sticks as fuel promotes direct contact of these harmful
and poisonous residues and their fumes when the sticks are burnt. These carcinogenic. With the increase in population, the use of cotton sticks as fuel wood is also increasing and so is the pollution due to smoke produced by burning.

3. Improved health of women
With the introduction of the smokeless stove the women cooking on it no longer inhale the poisonous smoke and neither will the smoke get into their eyes. Women complain of problems such as watering eyes, blackened walls, utensils, clothes and hands and open fire hazards to children. The smokeless stove is time saving, energy saving and is much less exhaustive for the women cooking on it.

4. Empowerment of women

The women trained, as 'Chulha Mechanics' in the Smokeless Stove project will be able to earn an additional income for them by constructing stoves in the houses of the villagers. One social activist in each village will be the focal point for spreading this technology in the village. Furthermore the Women CDCs or Community Development Committees formed in each village will be entirely involved in the project. They will motivate other women to install the stove and later evaluate it and discuss how to
improve it in meetings. Thus the women forming the community organization along with the female field staff involved will achieve a sense of empowerment through this project.

5. Economic Benefits
On an average one household uses cotton sticks harvested from two acres. About 80% of the households do not buy cotton sticks because they get sufficient quantity from the cultivated land. Villagers who do not own any land are permitted by the landlords to harvest the cotton sticks form the land without paying any cost. About 20% households spend Rs. 650/household on fuel-wood, which will be reduced by more than 50% with the use of the fuel-efficient stove. Being too bulky, it is difficult to transport the sticks to the houses and sometimes it damages the property. Similarly storing the sticks is also a problem especially for the villagers who already have limited land. Cost of transportation of fuelwood will be saved.

6. Social Benefits
Young children are usually sent for wood picking every day where as with the introduction of the fuel-efficient stove their visits would be reduced to once in 3-4 days. The young children would therefore not miss school at the cost of fuel wood collection. The NGO will be setting up Home Schools in the same villages in order to provide education to these young school-going children. Dependency of very poor on rich landlords for the provision of fuel wood will be reduced which might lead to their social empowerment.

7. Development in the area
The Smokeless Stove Project will not only be protecting the environment but will also uplift the target area in terms of development. The Smokeless Stove Project is in essence an international project and the model being used in it has won world recognition, thus it is certainly a matter of development when such a technology is introduced in the region. Furthermore, blacksmith or 'lohar' training's and the "Chulha Mechanic" training will mean the introduction of new skills into the community. The community organization and motivation that will take place during these projects will raise the level of general awareness and concern among the locals for critical issues such as the environment. Once a community is taught how to get organized, inter- village wise. and, cross -village wise then there is no limit to what all communities can achieve in terms of development amongst themselves. Thus the project not only relates to specific environmental gains but also contributes immensely to overall community development and the general promotion of development by utilizing the natural resources of the area wisely.

Activities
Fuel-efficient stoves introduced to the local community

A 3-day workshop will be held at the village level. 30-40 women will be trained as 'chulha mechanics' during each workshop. Since the villages are large and are divided into settlements, 12 workshops will be conducted in the area to cover the area effectively.

The local blacksmiths or 'lohars' of each village will also be trained in making the steel chimneys, stove gates and the chimney damper. Thus the women of the village should be able to easily have the 'chulha mechanic' make the stove and simultaneously they can recycle their old steel bins etc. by taking them to their 'lohar' and having him make the chimney etc. out of this material, if they want to have the stove made in the cheapest possible way. Regularly, however, the blacksmith will use his own steel to make the stove chimney etc. Thus the smokeless stove project has the salient characteristics of being simple in design and concept, easily imitable. sustainable, cost-effective and beneficial to the environment.

The cluster can also play a very important role in the identification of any social or technical problems, which might arise while introducing the technology and could also work to solve these problems. Later cluster could also help other clusters and the COs in adopting this technology.

SUSTAINABILITY
The Fuel-efficient Stove model that will be introduced in the target area has won world recognition. The Fuel-efficient Stove model requires the same material for its construction as the traditional stove. The 'chimney set' can be made by recycling old steel bins or the chimney can also be made from mud since it serves the same purpose as the steel chimney. The fuel-efficient stove model is adaptable, economical and has various evident environment and health benefits to the community. Therefore the
community readily accepts the model. The Fuel-efficient Stove is therefore not only the introduction of a new but also appropriate technology.

The project therefore aims towards providing alternative options to indigenous practices. These alternative options are appropriate, practical and effective, thus ensuring the sustainability of the proposed activities.