WORKING TRAILER
From a young age, Raja can recall watching his mother and sister suffer using the traditional Bangladesh biomass cook stove.
“My mother and sister’s eyes would start watering excessively when cooking on the stove, which emitted a lot of smoke and fumes,” he remembers. “Seeing them in pain, I used to think about how I could save them.”
Raja’s family is just one of around 30 million in Bangladesh that rely on these traditional cook stoves for cooking and heating. These inefficient stoves produce excessive CO2 emissions and significant air pollution, leading to increased health problems. In fact, traditional cook stoves are responsible for the deaths of over 80,000 women and children under five. And with most of Bangladesh’s population living in rural areas, consumption of biomass fuels is significant, and deforestation a risk.
These issues concerned Raja and inspired him to find a solution. In 2012, he learned of the Improved Cook Stove (ICS) and its benefits. And after attending a USAID seminar, Raja began to manufacture Improved Cook Stoves on a large scale.
“Our stoves need less firewood; produce almost no fumes or soot; are easily portable; ecofriendly; and healthy,” he says with pride.
Besides the technical support through seminars and workshops, USAID helped Raja in raising awareness of the Improved Cook Stove by arranging advertising, organizing product fairs, marketing events and community outreach programs. USAID put Raja in touch with local NGOs and institutions, and facilitated the creation of a business channel between producers, distributors and dealers.
Raja is just one manufacturer in a growing industry, with elevated levels of demand for Improved Cook Stoves leading to new entrants in the market. Whilst Raja’s company produces between 600 to 800 ICS a month, there’s a monthly demand of 2,000.
Currently an estimated 300,000 improved cook stoves are in operation in Bangladesh, thanks to Raja and ten other local manufacturers. Since these innovative cook stoves have been brought to market carbon emissions have already decreased drastically.
“It is very pleasing to think my product is useful to society,” says Raja with a smile.
BY IMPROVING COOK STOVES IN BANGLADESH, USAID IS SAVING ENERGY AND REDUCING POLLUTION.
Client: Deloitte / CCEB
Subject: Biswanath Mandal Raja
Location: Dhaka & Khulna, Bangladesh
Videographer: Danial Danny
Photographer: Faisal Khan Sumit
Editor: Candice Wainwright
Director: AZ Dipu
Project Manager: Lisa Stewart
Producer: Morgana Wingard
