In kitchens across Cambodia’s Takeo and Kampot provinces, a quiet but life-saving shift is happening. Households are moving from cooking their meals over charcoal or wood fires to affordable, cleaner electric or gas stoves. This is a direct result of the government, in partnership with CHAI, working with community health workers to educate families on the health impacts of cooking methods.
About 92 percent of Cambodian villages have access to electricity and widely use liquefied petroleum gas for cooking. However, approximately 11 million people in Cambodia continue to rely on cooking fuels like wood or charcoal, exposing them to harmful smoke. Over 14,000 people die each year due to preventable conditions related to household air polution. Women, people living with chronic conditions (mostly over 40), and children are at higher risk. Women and individuals over 40 often hold key household roles that put them in harm’s way, such as being their family’s main cook. Research also shows unclean cooking practices are responsible for 18% of all deaths in children under five in Cambodia.
Electric or gas stoves reduce the toxic indoor air that leads to these deaths. It also curbs deforestation, which has ecological and climate implications, and frees up time previously spent collecting fuel for children to attend school.
Implementing the Smoke Free Village project
In 2024, CHAI implemented the “Smoke Free Village” project in Cambodia, in partnership with SNV, an environmental organization rooted in sustainability, and with financial support from The Rockefeller Foundation. SNV had already implemented Smoke Free Villages in other parts of Cambodia. Working with CHAI, for the first time the project engaged community health workers to scale the concept provincially.
Alongside leadership from Takeo and Kampot Provincial Health Departments, CHAI trained community health workers across four health centers on the importance of clean cooking for both individuals’ health and the environment.
CHAI staff training health workers on clean cooking practices
Before the training, the health workers collected data on cooking practices in their catchment populations. They visited nearly 3,000 individuals, taking a digital survey to collect baseline information. Nearly 63 percent of homes used unclean cooking (wood, charcoal) as a primary or secondary cooking method. However, only about 20 percent of those surveyed knew about the negative consequences of unclean cooking practices on their health.
Scaling up clean cooking practices
Community health worker interviews elderly woman on clean cooking practices
The health workers then educated their communities about the positive impact switching to cleaner cooking fuels could have—both in outpatient departments at the four health centers and through home visits. They focused on individuals over 40 that the public health sector prioritizes for screening chronic diseases linked to household air pollution exposure.
After just one month of clean cooking behavior change interventions, the project’s end-line survey found that households using electric stoves increased by 75 percent.
Changing lives one household at a time through clean cooking practices
Lem Som is 64 years old. As the household manager for her family, she has been using wood to cook most of her life. Despite chronic health issues, she was unaware of the link between her cooking method and her health. However, participating in health education sessions has begun to change her perspective.
“I’ve been cooking with wood since I was young, and I never realized it could be harming my health. The health education sessions have opened my eyes to the risks.”
For 41-year-old Dom Amnah the change was almost immediate for herself and her children.
“Since we started using gas for cooking, my children have been healthier, and I feel better too,” said Amnah. “For example, we have had fewer coughs and eye problems. It has meant we have had fewer visits to the health center. It’s a small change but saves me time collecting firewood and hasn’t cost us much, so the impact is huge.”
Paving the way for a healthier future
The transformation in Takeo and Kampot is a testament to the power of education, collaboration, and community engagement. As these communities continue to embrace clean cooking methods, the health and well-being of their residents will improve significantly. The efforts of Norn Khemra, Rominh Health Center Chief, and many others are paving the way for a healthier, more sustainable future.
“We are on a journey toward a healthier community, and clean cooking is a key part of that journey,” said Khemra. “Together, we can make a difference.”
