Practical Action Launches Innovative Digital Tool to Combat Poverty

RUGBY, England, September 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

International development charity Practical Action has partnered with Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group (BSH) to help tackle poverty.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120917/562413 )

In developing countries around the world, 3 billion people still cook on open fires and the smoke that these produce in people's homes kills more people each year than malaria.

To combat this, Practical Action and BSH have developed an online tool which enables development professionals to design a bespoke smoke hood which removes over 80% of the toxic smoke produced by cooking.

With the coalition placing a new priority on the role of the private sector in development at the end of last year, this is a welcome development and the tool is already changing the lives of people living in poverty in South East Asia.

Sam Shiroff, director, Corporate Responsibility Department, BSH, explains: "Stimulating economic growth is one of the surest ways of reducing poverty in developing countries and businesses in the UK have a huge role to play. By partnering with Practical Action we can help people living on the front line of poverty to change their lives and move our business into new markets at the same time."

Margaret Gardner, director of charity partner Practical Action, said: "The outputs of Practical Action's partnership with BSH are already clear to see and as a charity we are keen to work with the private sector if it can make a difference to the lives of the people we work with. The introduction of the smoke hoods tool will dramatically reduce the number of people that die from smoke inhalation in developing countries and change their lives for the better."

For more information about how Practical Action works with the private sector, visit http://www.practicalaction.org, or to check out the tool and design your own smoke hood visit http://www.healthysmokehoods.org.

Notes for Editors:

Practical Action uses technology to challenge poverty in developing countries.

Our strength is our approach. We find out what people are doing and help them to do it better. Through technology, we enable poor communities to build on their skills and knowledge to produce sustainable and practical solutions, thus transforming their lives forever and protecting the world around them.

By doing this each year we help around a million people break out of the cycle of poverty… for good.

For further information, please contact Abbie Wells, Practical Action Media Officer, on +44(0)1926-634510 or +44(0)7714-205342.