If we were to tell you that there is a global killer in our midst that takes more lives every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined; would you even know what it was?
That killer is smoke. Inhaled from cooking over open fires, which takes 4 million lives a year, it’s utterly preventable and it’s why we need your help. Cooking in these conditions over an open fire is the equivalent of inhaling secondary smoke from 400 cigarettes an hour. The solution is smoke hoods- what we would know as chimneys.
Kate Thornton travelled across to Nepal with Practical Action to see first-hand how vital the work being carried out across the country is. To find out more, and to donate to this live saving organisation- please visit the Magic website.
Within the community of Hetauda, in Nepal there are 1500 homes and only 100 with smoke hoods. Prabin Gurung of Practical Action explains why it’s so important for them to keep working in the area.
“For them 6000 rupees is a huge amount of money, so it takes a while to convince them that the smoke is really killing them. The first thing we need is a proper education and awareness of the dangers of smoke”
I spoke with Phool Maya Gole- a mother living in Hetauda, who told me about her families health problems.
*“I’ve been cooking this way as long as I can remember. I don’t have LPGs, all I have is this firewood. I really struggle to open my eyes in the smoke, and I live here with my husband, two sons and a daughter.
My kids suffered from pneumonia and coughs when they were small, and I had to take them to hospital for treatment.”*
With her husband out of work, school fees to pay and meals to put on the table- it’s easy to see how a smoke hood can become a lesser priority for the people living in these communities.
Next I spoke with Sano Maya Devkota- who is suffering from asthma but has no choice but to work and live in the smoke, even though she knows the dangers.
“I know I am ill from spending too much time in the smoke. During winter it’s really cold and in summer it’s really hot and no matter what I have to be in front of this smoke all the time. Do I have any choice? This is what I do for a living.”
Stories from women like these are going unnoticed everyday- costing millions of lives. Many of them are underrepresented and trapped in a cycle that they can’t escape from. However, with your help, we can all make a difference.
I travelled to a hospital that treats over half a million people in Hetauda and the surrounding areas. Every day 8 to 10 children are admitted here, and those lucky enough to make the journey and treated by just 30 doctors.
Dr Hari Khadka explained how important the smoke hoods were to improving the health of the children he sees every day.
“Having more smoke hoods in homes would reduce the number of patients I needed to see. Many of the respiratory diseases will be cut down such as pneumonia and bronchial asthma- we could save many lives.”
Whilst in Nepal, I saw a small shop where a member of the Hetauda community has set up a business building these lifesaving smoke hoods- after being taught by Practical Action. Just £38.59 could pay for all of the materials needed to build one- and could save the lives of a whole family.
To see the benefits of owning a smoke hood for myself, I travelled to meet Tirtha and her daughter in law Geta, whose lives have vastly improved since having one installed.
*“My kids suffered from pneumonia and coughs because of the smoke. Before we had this smoke hood, the room used to be filled with smoke all the time. When I went to see an eye doctor, he told me to stay away from the smoke, but how could I stay away when I was the one providing meals for my family?
Once we had this smoke hood, the smoke went out of the chimney hood very easily without spreading inside the room. It not only prevents indoor air pollution but also saves fuel and time to cook meals.”*
If we remove the emotion from this story and just look at the cold, hard facts. 4 million people every year are dying from smoke related illnesses- more than AIDS, malaria and TB combined.
All of these deaths are preventable with simple technology- like installing smoke hoods. Practical Action will subsidise those hoods across time making them accessible and affordable.
What we need you to do is to keep supporting this project so, I’m sorry, but we really need your money. For more information, please watch my short film and donate.