October 16, 2017
Thanks to a great sponsorship contribution from Claudia Reiner, Vice President of UNETO-VNI, and the organizations Engie, Van Dorp and Duurzaam Gebouwd, the Unica Foundation can get started with the smokeless oven project in the village of Sildajure in central Nepal.
During the UNETO-VNI Jubilee Congress on September 27, 2017, Daan van Vliet, Chairman of the Unica Foundation, received the sponsorship contribution from Claudia Reiner who won the ABN AMRO Duurzaam 50 earlier this year. Claudia was inspired by the Unica Foundation and decided to donate the 5,000 euros that joined the award to the foundation. It was decided to donate to the smokeless oven project in the village of Sildajure in central Nepal. To provide all 139 households of the village (about 700 inhabitants) with a metal oven 9,000 euros are required. That’s why Claudia organized a small fundraising campaign in which Van Dorp, Engie and Duurzaam Gebouwd donated the additional 4,000 euros, which allowed the project to start immediately.
Sildajure is one of the remotest villages in the Kaski district, situated 1,500 metres above sea level and 25 kilometres distant from the city of Pokhara. Cooking on open fire is very common here. However, the smoke from these fires is a cause of diverse health issues, such as lung and eye disorders. In addition, excessive use of firewood is contributing to environmental degradation. Smokeless ovens contribute to a better health and environment.
The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Nepalese Red Cross (NRCS) Kaski. NRCS Kaski, one of the main partners of the Unica Foundation, has implemented such projects in several villages in the Kaski district.
The project has now started and will take about eight months.
