In the highlands of Honduras, where tourism and coffee production drive the country’s economic engine, a social revolution is taking place.

The Santa Barbara Mountains, known for their beauty and diverse ecology, are home to some of the most impoverished populations in Central America. Small towns spread across Honduras’ western flank belong to an unpretentious statistic: More than 60 percent of Honduran citizens live below the poverty level. Five out of 10 live without basic amenities that often include adequate living conditions, nutritious food, and the means to improve their standard of living according to the World Bank.

But one partnership of nonprofits and local businesses are working to change those statistics. Their strategy starts not with rebuilding Honduras’ economy, or lobbying for international food aid, but in changing one modest household feature: the kitchen stove. “The traditional open-fire cook stoves waste valuable fuelwood, are dirty, can cause burns and are inefficient” explained Dee Lawrence, who also serves as the director of Proyecto Mirador.

Proyecto Mirador uses a specially designed stove called Dos Por Tres, a local expression that loosely translates as “in an instant.” The stove is structured to use less wood and offer a safe cooking surface (the plancha). “In addition to the physical design of the stove, Proyecto Mirador currently uses Salesforce technology to track and monitor these stoves to ensure they are being reviewed for efficiency as needed.”

The organization then contracts to have the stove put in by a member of its staff, using materials that have been built by small cottage industries in the local area. The process not only ensures safe installation of a Gold Standard-certified stove but contributes business to the local communities where the materials are sourced and made, often by hand.

Read the full article about Proyecto Mirador by Jan Lee at TriplePundit.