Stoves Join the Battle to Stop Violence Against Women

by Alex DiBranco · 2009-12-29 13:18:00 UTC
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We might not yet have the technology (or magic) to animate appliances Beauty in the Beast-style, but stoves are the latest tool in fighting violence against women.

In Congo, rape appears to be one of the favorite weapons of war. But Mercy Corps, a non-profit that works in crisis situations, is out to spoil the fun by providing fuel efficient stoves to women displaced by the fighting.

Ten percent of women haven't run into violence or harassment, sexual or otherwise, while gathering firewood for wood-burning stoves. Can you guess what percentage of women have?

This data in hand, Mercy Corps connected the dots. If women didn't have to spend as much time out in the forest looking for fuel -- venturing deeper and deeper as the resources close to their camp thin out -- they would be less vulnerable to assault. The shiny new stoves (well actually, they're clay) use a quarter of the wood the current version uses --  so they're environmentally friendly to boot!

And you know that saying about how if you teach a man to fish he'll eat for a lifetime? Mercy Corps isn't just handing out stoves like prizes on an Oprah show -- they're also teaching women to build DIY versions to spread the wealth.

Obviously this appliance-based approach treats but a symptom of a larger problem. But until we see peace in the Congo and a rape-free world, the important point is that Congolese women report feeling safer now that they aren't forced to spend so much time scrounging for fuel.

Just call them Stoves for Safety.

Photo courtesy of Todd Huffman's Flickr photostream.

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
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