Smokeless Chulha Project – Clearing the Air (WINGS × BWF)

Program Overview

Clearing the Air is a clean-cooking initiative jointly implemented by the Women In Need Given Support (WINGS) Foundation and Better World Foundation (BWF). Under this partnership, BWF serves as the Jharkhand distributor and on-ground implementation partner for WINGS’ improved biomass cookstoves, enabling the distribution of 25,000+ smokeless chulhas across rural households in Khunti, Hazaribagh, Koderma, and Simdega districts.

The project responds to a silent yet pervasive crisis—indoor air pollution caused by traditional mud and three-stone chulhas that burn firewood, dung cakes, and crop residue in poorly ventilated kitchens. By introducing a research-backed improved cookstove design, the initiative retains the use of familiar local fuels while significantly reducing smoke, improving combustion efficiency, and easing the daily drudgery faced by women.

This culturally sensitive design ensures high user acceptance—the taste of food, cooking methods, and utensils remain unchanged—allowing households to adopt new technology without disrupting traditions. Village-level demonstrations, user training, and simple maintenance guidance enabled women to confidently operate and care for their smokeless chulhas.

Over time, families reported smoke-free kitchens, fewer respiratory and eye-related discomforts, shorter cooking times, and a safer, more dignified cooking experience for women and children who spend the most time near the hearth.

Beyond its household-level impact, the project contributes meaningfully to environmental and climate goals. By burning biomass more efficiently and reducing incomplete combustion, smokeless chulhas help lower emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and black carbon—nudging communities from a high-emission “carbon debit” scenario toward a more climate-positive pathway.

Through this structured WINGS-BWF partnership, a seemingly simple household technology becomes a powerful lever for improving rural health, advancing gender equity, protecting forests, and aligning with India’s national clean-cooking and climate commitments.