Sun24 is a nonprofit that helps the poorest of poor in developing countries with cookstoves, solar lights and eyeglasses.
The Problem
3 billion people cook over open-fires or barely contained cookstoves, usually with wood as their fuel. The consequences are enormous:
- 4 million people die each year due to smoke from cooking over open-fires – more than tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS combined..
- In Africa, women and girls spend an average of 2 hours per day collecting firewood, exposing themselves to sexual assault.
- Each open-fire cookstove gives off almost as many climate-damaging emissions as an average American passenger vehicle.
The Solution
The simple and free act of placing small rocks on the floor of a traditional cookstove reduces firewood usage by a third. Women and children spend a third less time collecting firewood – reducing their exposure to sexual assault. Deforestation is reduced. The damage to the climate caused by these cookstoves is reduced by more than a third.
Results So Far
Sun24 partners with the Catholic and Anglican Churches in Africa and women associations in India to train women to use rock beds in their cookstoves. Our partners estimate that 6 million households are using rock beds (November 2019). We estimate that 20 million households will be using rock beds by the end of 2019. And our goal is 100 million households by the end of 2020.
We are currently training in Ghana, Guinea, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Zambia, Mali and India. (December, 2019)
“I have 9 people to take care of. Being a large family, looking for firewood was a daily activity. When the children come back from school, they have to go and look for firewood as a daily routine. The first day when I tried the rock bed, miracles happened in my home. The small twigs collected for firewood could not be finished. Half of the heap remained to be used the following day. It was unbelievable. Time for looking for firewood has been reduced to weekends, creating more time to children to read their books.”
Impact Table
| Households using rock beds | Benefit | Global savings |
|---|---|---|
| 6 million November, 2019 (estimate) | CO2 (equivalent) saved per year. | 16,800,000 tonnes |
| Time spent collecting firewood. | 1,500,000,000 hours | |
| 20 million End of 2019 (goal) | CO2 (equivalent) saved per year. | 56,000,000 tonnes |
| Time spent collecting firewood. | 5,000,000,000 hour | |
| 100 million End of 2020 (goal) | CO2 (equivalent) saved per year. | 280,000,000 tonnes |
| Time spent collecting firewood. | 25,000,000,000 hours |
Contact Us!
If you’d like to be involved in our work, we’d be delighted to hear from you.
Support Sun24
With every $10 you donate, 100 women will be trained to use rock beds. (Sun24 has no paid staff and almost no overhead. All donations go directly to training of women to use rock beds.)
Sun24 is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
Or, send your check to:
Sun24, Inc., 1815 W. Jetton Ave., Tampa, FL 33606