Since my childhood, this was the only reality I had known. We always cooked on traditional mud stoves, he recalls. We had to collect loads of firewood, put it into the stove, and blow into the fire constantly to keep it burning until the meal was cooked.
Keshav’s tea shop transformation
How an improved cookstove changed a life and a business
For almost two decades, Keshav Raj Joshi has run a small tea shop in Mallo Jamalkatte, Ward No. 5 of KI Singh Rural Municipality, in Nepal’s far-western Doti district. His tin-roofed shop serves hot beverages and light meals to local residents and travelers . Filled with the aroma of freshly brewed tea, it is a gathering place where villagers meet, share stories, and catch up on local news. Keshav, who enjoys meeting people and listening to their stories, takes pride in the role his small business plays in bringing the community together.
Like most households in this remote pocket, Keshav’s kitchen relied on firewood gathered from the surrounding forest, the way families here have cooked for generations, and the way many still cook today.
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For Keshav, this meant the daily physical labour of collecting firewood and spending hours crouched over the stove while serving customers.
“Every day, I would spend hours stoking the fire to keep it burning,” he says, “On some days I could barely keep my eyes open.”
That changed when Keshav was introduced to an improved fan-based cookstove through Practical Action’s Transforming the Cookstove Market (TTCM) project, with support from Livelihood Funds. The project supports rural households and small businesses to adopt cleaner and more efficient cooking technologies by improving access to quality cookstoves and strengthening local supply chains. The fan-based cookstove uses a small built-in fan to improve combustion, helping it burn fuel more efficiently, produce less smoke, and use less firewood.
At first, he was surprised that a cookstove could work so differently from the ones he had used all his life.
“It completely changed my life. I no longer have to sit in the smoke or use a blowpipe to keep the fire going,” he says. “The stove catches fire quickly, cooks faster, and uses only a fraction of the firewood we needed before.”
For Keshav, the difference is particularly noticeable during the working day. He is now able to tend to his customers more swiftly, and he feels they are more satisfied with his service. “This technology may look ordinary to others, but to me it has been remarkable,” he shares. Keshav says this technology has made his day-to-day routine much easier, and work has been more comfortable.
As people in his village and nearby communities have seen the difference the cookstove has made, many have become interested in getting one themselves.
“I already have 18 to 20 people who’ve asked me to let them know when the distributor has cookstoves back in stock,” he says. “I share its benefits with everyone because I want other families to enjoy the same comfort and convenience that I do.”
Help more people like Keshav transform their lives
Keshav’s story shows how a simple, practical solution can make a life-changing difference — reducing smoke, saving firewood and making everyday work easier. But millions of people still lack access to cleaner, more efficient ways to cook and earn a living.
With your support, Practical Action can help more people access the technologies, knowledge and opportunities they need to build healthier, more sustainable futures. Your donation can help turn practical ideas into lasting change for people and the planet.
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