Did you know that lung disease is the second highest cause of death in developing nations, after AIDS? And that one of the primary causes is the common cookstove? These stoves, which are often just open fires in a kitchen, are “like burning 400 cigarettes an hour,” according to Dr Kirk Smith, a Professor of Global Environmental Health from the University of California at Berkeley. YWI inventor Payan ole-MoiYoi decided to do something about it. His original design for the Kenya Stove aims to save lives, trees, Kenyan shillings and fuel.
Our shooting team caught Payan in his new workshop last February and edited this awesome video with Payan as he and his new team completed a big order. What do you want to know? We’ll ask Payan in September when we shoot another session with him and learn more about what makes Payan tick. What’s happened in the past six months? Why didn’t he find the challenge he needed in the U.S. after 14 years? What does he do for fun in Nairobi? What is it like to straddle cultures on two continents Despite coming back home to Kenya, Payan admits it’s like walking over hot coals some days.
Life and death issues are at stake in Payan’s search for the best stove, fuel, distribution networks and marketing approach. How will he win early adopters and bring cheap, safe cooking tools to the women who most need them?
To see more videos and info on Payan, click YWI’s innovators page and/or our Medium.com blog post. Stay tuned for our next check in with Payan.
