Women, girls around the world at risk from inefficient cookstoves

"For mothers around the world, preparing the family meal is a daily ritual and an act of love. But it's also a grave risk for approximately three billion people who cook with open fires and inefficient stoves that burn solid fuels such as wood, animal and agricultural waste, and coal," Kathy Calvin, CEO of the United Nations Foundation, writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog. She highlights a number of risks associated with the use of cookstoves, including pneumonia, respiratory issues, cancer, burn risks and safety risks for women and children who collect fuel. Calvin then interviews Radha Muthiah, executive director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, "which aims to create a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions that help keep families safe and healthy." According to the interview transcript, Muthiah discusses her personal motivations for working to improve cookstove technology, lessons learned from women using cookstoves around the world, and how she finds hope in her work despite its many challenges (3/22).