Before the monsoon season, 18 cattle-owning households of Ramanwadi, Maharashtra had installed bio-gas digesters that generated cooking fuel from cow-dung. Farmers dug the pits for installation and contributed 20% of the digester cost. Coordinating the effort was Venu Madhuri Trust (VMT), a long-term partner of AID. By replacing firewood and dung stoves, the bio-gas digester reduces indoor air pollution, which, according to the WHO, is responsible for premature deaths of 500,000 women and children in rural India. Demand for cow-dung has facilitated the preservation of indigenous cow species. The by-product is used as organic manure in farms. Women don’t have to spend time collecting wood anymore, and this directly increases the chances of girls attending school. It also saves 113 tonnes of wood annually. This project has been recognized by the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency for excellence in energy conservation and management.

Chetana Kulkarni is a telecommunications engineer and volunteers for AID in Dallas.