From Firewood to the Future: Why Clean Cooking in Public Institutions Matters

Before sunrise, school kitchens across Tanzania light fires to prepare meals for hundreds sometimes thousands of students. The same happens in hospitals, prisons, and universities. For years, these meals have been cooked using firewood and charcoal. It’s familiar. It works. But it comes at a cost many people don’t see.

Smoke from traditional cooking fuels is linked to respiratory illnesses. Firewood demand contributes to deforestation. And institutions spend millions each year just to keep kitchen fires burning.

But change is already happening. Read the full policy paper here.