Slums/urban villages are an integral part of all metros, including Noida. Communities staying here primarily migrate from rural areas to find a way out of poverty, unemployment, and indebtedness. For daily cooking they mostly depend on kerosene, solid fuel (firewood, animal dung, charcoal, municipal/ industrial waste, and coal) and throw away batteries. This results in Household Air Pollution (HAP) emitting health-damaging particulate matter and climate warming pollutants in the environment and sometimes also cause fires, putting their lives at risk and wiping out everything they own.

In order to address these challenges, through support from HCL Foundation’s urban CSR program, HCL Uday, CARE India had initiated engagement with SVDHs to enable their transition to improved cook stoves (ICS) which are more environment and health friendly and would help provide women with respite and increased time and energy to participate in other productive ventures. The project has been implemented in four villages of Dadri Block in Gautam Buddh Nagar District.