BHUTAN: Fuel efficient stoves in the schools are well maintained and used according to the president of the People’s Focus Consulting Company, Yukiko Kuroda, who was in the country to evaluate their assistance to schools in Bhutan.

The private company from Japan had donated 45 stoves to 15 schools around the country last year through the World Food Programme (WFP).

"We are happy with the result and we will continue our assistance," the president, who visited the beneficiary schools last week, said. People’s Focus Consulting Company is a global programme and donates 1 percent of their company’s revenue every year to the WFP in Bhutan.

Many of the schools in Bhutan depend heavily on firewood to cook meals on traditional mud stoves or makeshift stoves in traditional kitchens with poor ventilation systems. "The fuel efficient stoves use less wood and are more efficient," said the head teacher of Jyenkhana primary school in Haa.

"It saves us a lot of cooking time and it emits a lot less smoke than the traditional style cooking stoves."

According to the WFP the fuel efficient stoves consume 50 percent less wood than the traditional stoves. An individual in Bhutan is estimated to consume about 1200 kilogrammes of wood in a year using a traditional stove.

According to WFP programme officer Naoe Yakiya, 30 fuel efficient stoves will be supplied to 10 schools mostly in eastern dzongkhags this year.

The seven people from Japan visited Samtengang and Nahi in Wangdue-phodrang, Kabesa in Punakha and Ugyen Dorji higher secondary and Jyenkhana primary school in Haa last week.

At present WFP provides food assistance to more than 169 schools around the country.

Source: Kuenselonline.com