Tuki Wasi promotes the use of ICS in the rural areas of Peru, reducing the amount of fuel needed for cooking. By employing ICS, the beneficiary families reduce firewood consumption and contribute to a more sustainable use of forests resources in rural areas. The ICS are implemented by Peruvian stove manufacturers that have been awarded with respective lots in a competitive selection process by the activity.

In the selection process the activity sets out the required specifications for the tendered stoves to ensure suitability, safety, efficiency and pollution thresholds. The stoves promoted by Tuki Wasi are inhouse masonry stoves with two fireplaces, that are approved by the national standardisation agency.

The rural population of Peru lives far from the urban centres, often in self-sustaining communities. As a result, cooking fuels are unaffordable. Therefore, firewood is collected from forests and shrubland and burned in traditional stoves. This practice can contribute to deforestation and leads to indoor pollution and severe respiratory diseases.

ICS drastically reduce the fuel use as well as health issues. However, these stoves represent a significant financial investment that many households can not necessarily afford. Through the support of the activity, the contracted stove manufacturers offer the stoves at affordable prices, with the beneficiary families providing in-kind labour to further reduce the price.

There are already governmental efforts in Peru for the installation of ICS, implemented as part of broader social and economic development projects in rural areas. However, these Peruvian social programs do not have the capacity to reach out to every household, especially in remote areas. This is where Tuki Wasi steps in, targeting regions that will be underserved by governmental support and thereby enhancing Peru’s and Switzerland’s cooperative ambition to fight climate change.

It is important that the awarded areas do not conflict with governmental ICS programs. To this end, Tuki Wasi is in exchange with the Ministry of Energy (MINEM) and the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS), which are responsible for the operation of these programs, and the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM), which is responsible for the track and management of emission reductions.