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HELPS Business Model for Stove Production/Distribution With a Pilot Program in Guatemala


Table of Contents

[top] [end]Project title


HELPS Business Model for Stove Production/ Distribution with a Pilot Program in Guatemala

[top] [end]Short project summary


Background of the project--In most indigenous homes in Guatemala, cooking is done on a 3-stone fire inside the house. HELPS doctors (and others) have found that a strong link exists between poor indoor air quality and widespread health problems. For years, existing NGOs have had community development programs in these rural villages but no one was manufacturing a low cost, mass-produced stove that they can buy for use in their projects.

HELPS engineers studied Mayan cooking requirements, developed stove prototypes, and tested them. The effectiveness of the design was independently verified. Fiberglass molds were made in Guatemala. A one-year field test of the stove design was performed in Santa Avelina, Guatemala. For the past three years HELPS has been marketing stoves in a wide range of climatic, geographic, cultural and economic situations. As of this writing, 3500 stoves have been sold and installed to established NGOs and to village associations for use in their programs. The stoves have been accepted in 50 villages located in every department in Guatemala and by association of fincas (commercial farms with resident workers).

[top] [end]Project statistics


[top] [end]Project location


All departments in Guatemala

[top] [end]Project partners


The HELPS stove project is working with 35 other NGOs who distribute the stoves for use in their community development projects.

[top] [end]Project goals (summary)


Goal: To reduce the health problems in developing countries caused by open fire cooking.

Objective #1: --To produce a proven, replicable business model for financially sustainable enterprises producing professionally engineered, fuel efficient, low-cost, mass-produced, wood burning cooking stoves that meet acceptable air quality and safety standards for the home.

Objective #2: --To design a business model whose stove design gives balance between product quality, performance, life expectancy, and a widely acceptable cost and credit structure.

Objective #3: -- To demonstrate the distribution method of selling to NGOs and associations that are already working in community development and to develop standards for NGO participation and inspection to insure compliance to the business model.

Objective #4: --To ensure that the stove and the business model are widely accepted in a variety of climatic, geographic, cultural and economic situations.

Objective #5: -- To make the model freely available worldwide to entrepreneurs interested in commercially viable stove manufacturing businesses or to qualified NGOs interested in subsidized programs.

[top] [end]Duration and start date


The project is for a period of three years starting in January of 2003.

[top] [end]Contact details


HELPS International-Guatemala
15301 Dallas Parkway
Suite 200
Addison TX USA 75001

Project Leader - Don O'Neal - dononeal@...

[top] [end]Project approach and activities


Implementation --HELPS is creating a complete manufacturing business model for stove manufacture, verifying its effectiveness, documenting the model, and make it available worldwide. The purpose is to make substantial improvement in health throughout the world. In order to make such an impact, HELPS will also be developing distribution channels selling in quantity to village associations and NGOs that have spent years establishing trusted reputations for community development in the villages. These organizations will provide the recipient training and will be required to have trainers and installers who have attended HELPS training courses.

This project along with HELPS continuation of its 20-year history of economic development programs, infrastructure construction, and curative and preventive heath programs all work together to increase rural purchasing power and thus ensure the financial sustainability of this program.

[top] [end]Deliverables and benefits


  • Proven, efficient, low-cost, mass-produced, wood burning, cooking stove design.
  • Replicable stove factories using production molds and techniques.
  • Culturally oriented training manuals, support manuals, and videos.
  • Spare parts depot.
  • 3000 stoves installed throughout rural Guatemalan communities.
  • A complete stove business that can be replicated including engineering, manufacturing drawings and specifications, quality control documents, vendor and cost records, marketing and distribution plans.
  • Business and engineering advisory teams to review project performance against this proposal and to make recommendations to project management.


Page created: 03 September 2003; Last edited: 25 July 2004; Version: 3
Knowledge Bank text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

Pagename: StoveProductionAndDistributionInGuatemala @HEDON: KKAA