India

Of the 2.7 billion people without access to clean cooking fuel in the world, over one quarter live in rural India. Think of it:  take the total population of the United States, double it, and you’d be just under the number of people cooking over open fires every day in India.

Tackling a challenge of this scale requires innovation, organization, and deep local knowledge. That’s why Solavore is proud to partner with Hand in Hand (HiH) India in empowering rural women in Rajasthan, India, in two life-changing ways: 

1. Providing affordable, clean-fuel, efficient, hands-free cooking technology at the household level

2. Providing business opportunities for qualified, motivated interested women in the distribution of the Solavore Sport

HiH’s proven method of deployment is through Self Help Groups (SHG’s). From humble beginnings in 2002, Hand in Hand now operates in over 10 countries with over one million women in the program.  In the state of Rajasthan, where we’ll be working together, they’ve engaged over five thousand women in 415 Self Help Groups.

We think HiH has the recipe for success, a well-structured set of building blocks that leads each participant from awareness-building to self improvement to budding entrepreneur, with training and support every step of the way.   With a revolving fund supporting micro-financing for every oven placed we have high expectations of success:

• 200 households will benefit

•  Increased awareness of energy efficiency and impact to the environment

•  Reduced time spent for fuel wood collection and in hands-on cooking

•  Demand for upscaling in the next phase – putting entrepreneurs to work!

Solavore: Empowering Women One Meal at a Time