2020 Report: Project Concern International

Donation: $150,000

Our donation helped Project Concern International (PCI, a Global Communities Partner) implement their "Carbon Capture" initiative to distribute firewood-saving stoves, start reforestation activities, and improve sanitation for rural families in the Western Highlands region of Guatemala.

In February, to start the program and guide their efforts, PCI surveyed 308 households, or roughly 1,600 people in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Their key findings: only 18 percent of the families used firewood-saving stoves, 35 percent did not have a latrine, and most obtained their water by harvesting and boiling rainwater using firewood. As a result, in addition to starting reforestation efforts, PCI focused on providing water-purifying filters, eco latrines, and clean-burning, fuel-efficient stoves to many of these highly vulnerable households.

Despite COVID-19 shutting down community activities and restricting access to the area for months, PCI reached every household in the community and gave them the tools to help fight climate change. As a result, 168 new latrines were constructed, 252 families have climate smart cookstoves, 306 use safe, eco-friendly water filters, and 10,000 trees were reforested. Taken together, these initiatives will alleviate the health issues associated with cooking and sleeping in the same room, end the destruction of 3,500 trees each year for firewood, prevent the spread of waterborne diseases that cause malnutrition and stunting in children, and create a renewable source of fuel. Another benefit: Women and girls will now able to focus on school instead of collecting firewood.