2024 and 2025 were formative and impactful. shaped by strategic growth, intentional team development, and strong community partnerships.

During this period, we placed nearly 3,000 Justa Cookstoves in homes across Central America, formalized our team in Guatemala, and strengthened relationships with the communities we serve. We also developed new partnerships with municipalities and outlined—and piloted—new programming designed to strengthen long-term project sustainability.

In this report, we will highlight our major accomplishments and partnerships over the past two years, along with sharing our commitment to families and outlining our innovative approach to sustainability.

Over 2.1 billion people rely on open-fire cooking methods

Across the globe, the clean cookstove sector plays a critical role in addressing one of the most urgent and interconnected challenges in sustainable development: the way families cook their daily meals. Over half of the world’s population still relies on open fires to cook their daily meals.

Open fire cooking practices are responsible for 3.2 million premature deaths annually, with women and children bearing the brunt of the impact due to prolonged exposure to indoor air pollution.

Clean cooking is climate action. It is gender equity. It is health equity. And it is one of the most cost-effective interventions for reducing carbon emissions while improving the quality of life for families in low-resource communities.

Most women in rural Central America don’t cook all their meals over an open fire by choice—they do so out of necessity, simply to prepare meals and care for their families. Modern cookstoves are expensive and often inaccessible for low-income families, leaving them with few options for meal preparation.

Our work is focused on supporting families, and supporting the women—mothers, wives, and daughters—who want to create meaningful change for their families. A safer, more efficient cookstove doesn’t just save time and money; it opens doors to new opportunities. Better health and extra time allow women to invest more in their homes and communities. Small businesses and other economic ventures become possible, and families gain one less worry in their day-to-day lives.

Over the past two years, we have gained valuable insights into the power of teamwork, the importance of trust, and the impact of community-led engagement. We invite you to look back at our accomplishments from 2024 and 2025 and take a sneak peek at what’s to come for 2026.

In 2024, 1,432 Stoves Placed across Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador

In Guatemala, we installed 1,069 Justa stoves with the support of community leaders, municipalities, Rotary Club of Retalhuleu, and our field partner in Totonicapán, EcoLogic Development Fund. In 2024, our Guatemala team moved its headquarters to Retalhuleu to better support our growing projects throughout the department.

In Nicaragua, we placed 294 Justa stoves in partnership with El Porvenir, our long-time factory partner Avanza, and our Canadian Rotary partner Commit. These collaborations continue to demonstrate the strength of locally rooted partnerships combined with international support.

In El Salvador, we deepened our relationships with our in-country partner ESNA to expand stove access in communities around [XXX] and [XXX]. Through this partnership, we placed 69 additional Justa stoves.

As part of this expansion, we began transitioning toward a shared subsidy model in both countries. Under this approach, StoveTeam provides a fixed per-stove subsidy, technical training, and long-term monitoring, while local partners raise funds, oversee installation, and ensure ongoing community engagement.

Moving fully into 2026, all partners in El Salvador and Nicaragua have adopted this model. By sharing costs and responsibilities, this structure increases efficiency, strengthens local ownership, and leverages the deep relationships our partners already have within the communities they serve.

In 2024, our work in Guatemala reached an exciting new chapter through a meaningful partnership in Nuevo Palmar. We connected with Mayor Manuel Arsenio of Nuevo Palmar in the Quetzaltenango Department, who expressed a strong commitment to ensuring families in his region gain access to fuel-efficient cookstoves.

Nuevo Palmar is a large municipality in the department of Quetzaltenango, made up of many rural communities where the need for improved cookstoves is significant. More than 500 families currently rely on open fires to prepare their daily meals, and over the next two years, we are committed to reaching at least 500 families with fuel-efficient cookstoves that create safer, healthier homes.

Mayor Arsenio had graciously donated a portion of the stove construction materials, including brick, ash, and sand, to help make the stoves more affordable for StoveTeam and the families, allowing us to build even more stoves. In 2024, we successfully placed 49 stoves in communities across Nuevo Palmar and by the end of 2024, we began work with our Rotary Clubs across the U.S to fundraise and support 100 stoves in 2025.

Our projects are powered by the communities we serve. Each community is unique, and we rely on trusted local leaders and advocates to introduce us to families and help us thoughtfully navigate community norms and relationships.

In Retalhuleu, Guatemala, our field team began working closely with women from local communities to identify families in need of a Justa cookstove and support them through the sign-up process. Many of these women initially came to us seeking a stove for their own homes. In conversation, we invited them to help us connect with other families in their area who were also cooking over open fires.

After receiving their own stoves, many chose to continue partnering with us—sharing information, building trust with neighbors, and helping more families enroll for a Justa cookstove. We lovingly began referring to these dedicated community advocates as our “Listmakers,” recognizing the vital role they play in expanding access and strengthening adoption from within the community itself. Our Listmakers receive a stipend for their time, and we are deeply grateful to have such committed women helping move our projects forward and strengthen community-led impact.

In 2024 we were extremely fortunate to work alongside outstanding partners across Central America. Our field partners were invaluable, providing funding support, access to critical resources, and on-the-ground expertise that strengthened every aspect of our work.

In Totonicapán, we partnered with EcoLogic Development Fund, an organization that supported a range of sustainability initiatives in the region, including reforestation and water projects. Through this partnership, we worked together to strengthen both community health and local ecosystems by reducing fuel consumption and reliance on open-fire cooking.

During the year, EcoLogic collaborated with us to build 300 cookstoves across communities in Totonicapán. Their team played a critical role in project coordination, translation support, and—most importantly—leveraging trusted, long-standing community relationships. Their partnership enabled us to work more efficiently and deepen our impact.

Our 2024 In-Country Partners Include:

EcoLogic Development Fund in Totonicapan, Guatemala*

Rotary Club of Retalhuleu in Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Valle de Guatemala Rotary Club in Quiche, Guatemala

Agros in Quiche, Guatemala

El Porvenir in Nicaragua

Avanza in Nicaragua

Commit in Nicaragua

ESNA in El Salvador

*Note - In 2026, EcoLogic experienced significant funding challenges that resulted in the suspension of their operations in Totonicapán. We are deeply grateful for their partnership and for the extraordinary commitment of their staff to community-based conservation and development.

While this transition has created uncertainty in the region, StoveTeam remains committed to ensuring that clean cooking initiatives continue. We are actively working to maintain momentum and explore pathways to carry the stove program forward—ideally in collaboration with members of the former EcoLogic team—should resources allow.

For partners who have historically supported community-led environmental work in Totonicapán, we welcome conversation about how clean cooking efforts can continue advancing shared goals of forest protection, climate resilience, and family well-being.

Our Fire Members

ARIA Foundation / The Scharpf Fund / Walt and Nancy Meyer /Gemma Castelli Jean and Ray Auel / Charissa Nelson Richard / Kathy Amos / Barbara and Christian Dumesnil / Barbara Vynne / Becky and Daniel Hanenkrat / Candice Wynne / Charles Potter and Susan Flett / Donna Scurlock and Michael Weinstein / John Cox / Diane Bronson / Douglas A Davis / Francois Lemay and Kathryn Benight Lemay / Eric Triplett / Heidi Groot / Helen Hankins and Michael Mauser / James Dauer and Susan Tiegs / Janet and Jim Swinyard / Jeya Aerenson / John Dauer / June Brooks / Eddie Karriker / Ginger and Keith Chinn / Susan Minor / Kristin Steele / Bob and Kathleen Carolan / Lucy and Sam Sullivan / Mary Verbeck / Martha S Black / Matthew Mayers / Mary Puskas / Ron and Anita Larson / Richard and Beverly Hughes / Susan Andrist / Sherry Dickerson / Kimberly Smith-Cupani / Barbara and Jim Sullivan / Thomas FitzHugh / Michael Mooser / Carolyn and Hank Robb / Victoria Quinn Stephens / William Welborn / Jan and Bob Swope / Ronald and Laura Rentfrow / Thomas and Mary Dudar / Dale and Elizabeth Bargsten / Suwinski Family Foundation / Cecily Cahill and Virginia (Polly) Hughes / Tina and Jay Lamb / Allen Reel / Peter and Mary Miles Teachout / Betty & David Teutsch / Michael and Pamela Lattin / Richard and Kristin Anderson / The Sanford Foundation / The Allen Stewart Foundation / David Collins / DeLaney-Oxley Family Fund / Richard Payne and Patricia Chiota / Griffin Sweeney Fund / Michael Reynolds / Ann Down / Damon Roddis / Gangarosa International Health Foundation / Nadim Abdo Collin Davis

Our Embers

Barbara and Jim Sullivan / Candice Wynne / Carol Lee Woodstock / Cecily Cahill and Virginia (Polly) Hughes / Damien Faure / David Arnold / David Collins / Debra Polak / Douglas A Davis / Eddie Karriker / Elizabeth Halper / Eric Triplett / Francois Lemay and Kathryn Benight Lemay / Gemma Castelli / Ginger and Keith Chinn / Heidi Groot / Hugh Beattie / John Howard / Joshua Schultz / Kate and Sandi Henley / Kendall Allen / Kimberly Smith-Cupani / Kristin Steele / Linda Alband / Lisa Uerkvitz / Martha Collins / Martha S Black / Michael R Tom / Nancy and Joshua Reckord / Patricia Baker / Paul Froehlich / Rachel Jordan / Ron and Anita Larson / Ron Riggins / Sierra and Dustin Dawson / Steffanie Rivas Sorrells / Thomas FitzHugh / Victoria Quinn Stephens / William Welborn

Our 2024 Funding Partners

Our 2024 Hearth Sponsors

Christadelphian Meal-A-Day / SumUp / The Roundhouse Foundation / ClimateHound / ARIA Foundation / Clark Family Trust / DeLaney-Oxley Family Fund / Gangarosa International Health Foundation / Griffin Sweeney Fund / Suwinski Family Foundation / The Allen Stewart Foundation / The Sanford Foundation / The Scharpf Fund

Our 2024 Rotary Club partners

Rotary Club of Stratford and Hyde Park / Hailey Rotary Foundation / District 7120 / Palmyra-Macedon Rotary Club / Moraga Rotary Club / Albany CA Rotary Club / Palo Alto Rotary Club / Sequim Sunrise Rotary / Rotary Club Spokane Aurora Northwest / Battle Ground Rotary Club / Apex Sunrise Rotary / Downtown San Diego Rotary Club / West El Paso Rotary Club / Winder Rotary Club / Lake Placid Rotary Club

Associated Energy Systems / ICC / The Foundry / Northwest Stoves Limited / Empire Comfort / Forrest Technical Coatings / Heritage Fireplace Shop / The Stove Store / Ortal USA / Sierra Hearth & Home / Chimney Monkey / Louisiana Fireplace / Fireplace Specialities / Marsh’s Stoves & Fireplaces / Hearth Patio Barbacque Association / Hearth Patio Barbacque Association Canada

Our 2024 Expense Breakdown

In 2025, 1,571 Stoves Placed across Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador

In Guatemala, our team of 9 stovebuilders constructed 1,188 Justa stoves across three regions. With our headquarters based in Retalhuleu, our team efficiently traveled between the departments of Retalhuleu and Quetzaltenango, completing stove projects ahead of schedule. In addition, a dedicated team of 3 stovebuilders was located in Totonicapán to support our stove project with EcoLogic Development Fund, extending our reach and deepening our impact in the highlands.

In Nicaragua, we placed a total of 262 Justa stoves with El Porvenir, our factory partner Avanza, and Canadian Rotary partner Commit.

In El Salvador, we placed 121 Justa stoves with ESNA through our subsidy model.

This year, we officially brought our stove builders on as full-time employees, allowing us to provide greater benefits, including health care and paid time off. This milestone was an essential step in strengthening our team—improving builder retention, supporting long-term stability, and expanding the skills and capacity of our team.

Our field team has also engaged in meaningful professional development opportunities, including typing courses to strengthen data collection and reporting, and sign language classes to expand communication and accessibility.

Our factory and shared living space in Retalhuleu offers more than just proximity to our work—it creates a supportive home base for Stovebuilders and Project Coordinators who travel from other regions. During the work week, they stay together in the shared house, providing a comfortable place to rest, recharge, and strengthen relationships as a team.

We are proud of every member of our team and the initiative they show in growing their skills. As we scale our operations, we look forward not only to expanding our impact but also to creating even more opportunities for professional growth and meaningful employment within our team.

“I am very happy to have this job. I have so much joy when I arrive to a house, and people share how much the stove impacts their daily life, and gives them the courage and time to move on to other aspirations. Thank you to StoveTeam International for giving me the opportunity for employment, and to the people who support us from across the world. Thank you very much for the effort you make to be able to get a stove to every family that needs one.”- Francisco Gutiérrez, Stovebuilder in Totonicapán

Visit our staff page to meet our full team!

Rotarians taking action in Nuevo PAlmar

In November 2025, StoveTeam was honored to welcome Rotarians from District 5100 and 6910 to Retalhuleu and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. The White Salmon Bingen Rotary Club led a District Grant supporting families in Nuevo Palmar, raising $17,000 to fund more than 70 stoves.

The majority of these stoves were placed in spring 2025, and during the November visit, Rotarians from White Salmon Bingen RC, Portland New Generations RC, Salem RC, and Winder RC joined us in the field. Together, they met our team, connected with members of our host partner, the Rotary Club of Retalhuleu, visited stove recipients, and assisted with the placement of four additional stoves—strengthening the relationships that make this work possible.

In 2025, we placed 193 fuel-efficient stoves in Nuevo Palmar, made possible through a District 5100 Grant and generous support from the Seattle Rotary Service Foundation and the San Diego Downtown Rotary Club.

With plans to install 400 additional stoves in 2026 across communities in Nuevo Palmar, we will meet—and exceed—our goal of reaching 500 families in the area, ensuring that as many households as possible can replace dangerous open fires with a safe, fuel-efficient cookstove.

We are extremely grateful for our Rotary partners who champion our mission and advocate for healthier homes and safer kitchens for families in Central America.

In 2024, we recognized a growing need for our operations in Guatemala: a dedicated delivery truck. To scale efficiently and continue building stoves on schedule, having our own vehicle to transport materials directly to project communities was essential.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our donors who funded our Delivery Truck Campaign during the Summer of 2025. With your support, we were able to buy our new truck, customize it to meet our specific needs, and hire a full-time driver/field assistant. This addition not only provides fair wages and benefits for a new team member but also enables our team to serve communities more efficiently than ever before.

Special Thanks To,

The Roundhouse Foundation

Rick and Suzanne Obst

Richard Johnson

Tina and Jay Lamb

Marcus Widenor

June Brooks

Diane Bronson

Susie Andrist

Patricia Baker

Carolyn and Hank Robb

Candice Wynne

Our Fire Members

ARIA Foundation / The Scharpf Fund / Walt and Nancy Meyer / Gemma Castelli / Jean and Ray Auel / Charissa Nelson / Barbara and Christian Dumesnil / Barbara Vynne / Barbara and Tod Hamachek / Candice Wynne / Charles Potter and Susan Flett / Patrice Clark / Donna Scurlock and Michael Weinstein / Diane Bronson / Diane Jeffcott / Douglas A Davis / Francois Lemay and Kathryn Benight Lemay / Bob Eilers / Eric Triplett / Gary and Anne Anderson / Heidi Groot / James Dauer and Susan Tiegs / Janet and Jim Swinyard / Jeya Aerenson / Jennifer Froistad / Jody Miller and Kip Leonard / John Dauer / June Brooks / Eddie Karriker / Ginger and Keith Chinn / Susan Minor / Kristin Steele / Bob and Kathleen Carolan / Lynn Johnson / Mary Verbeck / Martha S Black / Michael Bates / Madeleine Kardas / Monica Careaga Houck / Nancy and Joshua Reckord / Ron and Anita Larson / Rick and Suzanne Obst / Richard and Beverly Hughes / Susan Andrist / Sharon O'Brien / Kimberly Smith-Cupani / Barbara and Jim Sullivan / Thomas FitzHugh / Carolyn and Hank Robb / Victoria Quinn / Stephens Jeffrey and Victoria Wilson-Charles / Jan and Bob Swope / Ronald and Laura Rentfrow / Thomas and Mary Dudar / Dale and Elizabeth Bargsten / Suwinski Family Foundation / Shirley and Stephen Gilbreath / Cecily Cahill and Virginia (Polly) Hughes / Carolyn Kranzler and David McDonald / Tina and Jay Lamb / Allen Reel / Tim and Bev Hesterberg / Bruce and Becky Erickson / Sierra and Dustin Dawson / Mark and Jean Farmer / Ginger and Karl Styrsky / Betty & David Teutsch / Fiona and Alex Tait / Michael and Pamela Lattin / The Sanford Foundation / The Allen Stewart Foundation / Amy Keller / DeLaney-Oxley Family Fund / Griffin Sweeney Fund / Brian A Tarr / Jesse and Ann Allen Fund / Elizabeth Kurtz / Michelle Foster / Aaron Darling / Richard Johnson / Byine Nash Dorsey

Our Embers

Barbara and Jim Sullivan / Candice Wynne / Damien Faure / David Arnold / Debra Polak / Dorothy Abelson / Douglas A Davis / Eddie Karriker / Elena Rae Bohannan / Eric Triplett / Francois Lemay and Kathryn Benight Lemay / Gemma Castelli / Ginger and Keith Chinn / Heidi Groot / Hugh Beattie / John Howard / Kate and Sandi Henley / Kendall Allen / Kimberly Smith-Cupani / Kim Forrest / Kristin Steele / Linda Alband / Lisa Uerkvitz / Martha Collins / Michael R Tom / Monica Careaga Houck / Nancy and Joshua Reckord / Patricia Baker / Rachel Jordan / Ron and Anita Larson / Ron Riggins / Sierra and Dustin Dawson / Steffanie Rivas Sorrells / Thomas FitzHugh / Victoria Quinn Stephens / William Welborn

Our 2025 Funding Partners

Christadelphian Meal-A-Day Fund / The Roundhouse Foundation / ARIA Foundation / DeLaney-Oxley Family Fund / The Allen Stewart Foundation / Barrow Habitat for Humanity / Griffin Sweeney Fund / Jesse and Ann Allen Fund / Suwinski Family Foundation / United Way of the Bay Area /The Scharpf Fund / The Sanford Foundation

Our rotary partners

Albany Rotary Club / Bingen White Salmon Rotary Club / District 5100 / Portland New Generations Rotary Club / Lake Oswego Rotary Club / Greater Clark County Rotary Club / East Portland / West Salem Rotary Club / Seaside Rotary Club / Hillsboro Rotary Club / Forest Grove Daybreak / Coeur D'Alene Rotary / Downtown San Diego Rotary / Geneseo Rotary Club / Greece Rotary Club / Lake Placid Rotary Club / Rochester Rotary Club / Rotary Club of Uxbridge / Seattle 4 Rotary Club / Sequim Sunrise Rotary / Surf City Rotary / Winder Rotary Club / Winnipeg-Charleswood Rotary Club / Yorba Linda Sunrise Rotary Club

OUr Hearth Sponsors

Associated Energy Systems / ICC / The Foundry / Empire Comfort / Woodland Direct / ACME Stove / Hearth, Patio, Barbacque Association / Hearth, Patio, Barbacque Association of Canada

Our 2025 Expense Breakdown

At the end of 2025, StoveTeam’s Staff Directors and Board of Directors came together for a Strategic Planning Session focused on strengthening and professionalizing our organization while continuing to refine our methodology to better support the communities we serve. We listened, learned from one another, and charted a clear path for where we hope to be in the next five years.

With this new plan in place, we enter 2026 energized and inspired—most importantly, ready to walk alongside even more families in rural Central America as they create safer, healthier homes and communities.

A Letter From Our Executive Director

On a recent donor visit to Guatemala, after days spent in communities visiting families and listening in kitchens, several of us took a break, and climbed a volcano together. Reaching the summit after a long ascent was a powerful reminder that improving household air quality for millions of families is not simple work. 

Sometimes this work feels a little like climbing mountains.

It requires endurance, steady progress, trusted partners, and a shared belief that the view from the top is worth the climb.
Over the past two years, StoveTeam has taken that steady approach. Rather than rushing toward rapid expansion, we focused on strengthening our foundation — improving efficiency, refining our community-based adoption model, elevating quality standards, and deepening the way we measure impact. We invested in monitoring, strengthened partnerships, and listened closely to the families we serve to ensure that every stove installed delivers lasting health and environmental benefits. That intentional work has greatly deepened our impact and prepared us for what comes next.

Because of this strong foundation, in 2026 we are launching our Enhanced Monitoring and Restoration Program — a sector-leading initiative designed to extend stove lifespan, strengthen long-term adoption, and ensure that the benefits of clean cooking endure for years. As we look ahead to the next five years, we are energized by the opportunity to help lead the clean cooking sector with accountability, innovation, and partnership — bringing clean, safe kitchens into more homes and strengthening communities across Central America and beyond.

To our donors, board members, staff, and industry partners: thank you. You make this climb possible. Your generosity, expertise, and belief in this work are helping StoveTeam grow into its role as a trusted leader in sustainable clean cooking. We are deeply grateful to walk this journey with you.

With gratitude,

Shelby Kardas
Executive Director
StoveTeam International