ARTICLE - KEROSENE STOVES

HAITIAN KEROSENE STOVES, TO FIGHT AGAINST DEFORESTATION
(Haiti Libre) -

At the annual meeting of the Association of Hoteliers at the Costa del Sol (AEHCOS), members approved one of the projects, Zafèn [an organization dedicated to economic development of Haiti]. José Carlos Escribano, President of AEHCOS signed this agreement with the representative of Haiti Viva, Serge Piard. This is the second consecutive year that the association is working with Haiti Viva.

This time, this micro-loan ($7,850 U.S. dollars) will help to increase the capacity of the Workshop "Gloire à Dieu" to produce more kerosene stoves, and meet the demand of its customers. Created in 1998, the production facility, is located in the Park Artisanal des Ateliers, Écoles de Camp-Perrin in Lévy [South]. The workshop produces kerosene stoves to fight against the deforestation but also other metalwork equipment for various international organizations. Recently, the Workshop has received orders from schools and restaurants of the region. Current revenues allow to pay employees and reinvest in the business to purchase equipment.

Thanks to this funding, six new full time jobs will be created for people living within the community. Five of them will assemble stoves, while the final will be a bookkeeper. These stoves are designed to fight against deforestation by offering a low cost alternative to the population, so that it can stop using coal wood from cutting trees. In the South, the stove Workshop is the only manufacturer.

Although Camp Perrin [40,000 inhabitants] is the main market of the Workshop, it also serves all the Southern Department. The idea is to sell kerosene stoves throughout the country to reduce deforestation. This market is now profitable because people are beginning to understand that we must use less charcoal to save our environment.

Rosema Jean Osman, the owner of the Workshop, also trains the youth. This free training allows them to work, among others, as employees in the workshop. The school at the workshop has trained thirty students, most of whom now work in the ​​Port-au-Prince area, and in other parts of the country ,in the manufacture of these stoves.

Learn more about Zafèn:
Zafèn was established to foster collaboration between business owners based in Haiti, the Haitian diaspora, as well as any other person, group or institution interested in supporting the Haitian economy. Zafèn is unique in its criteria because to receive a loan, companies must prove they have an impact on their community, hiring employees, operate more efficiently, and in addition use measures more environmentally friendly. Note that these micro-loans are repayable when the company starts making profits, which allows it to reinvest that money in other projects.