Our Social Impact
The Wonderbag serves as a catalyst for social change.
Time Poverty
The number of girls who do at least two hours per day of unpaid work almost doubles after they reach the age of 15. By the time she is an adult, the average woman spends more than four hours every day doing unpaid work, leaving precious little time for anything else. Wonderbag cooking saves women and girls 1300 hours per year, giving them time to go to school, empowering economic opportunity, and entrepreneurial activities.
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Financial Poverty
The simple act of using a Wonderbag changes women’s lives by allowing them control over the family’s finances as they save money from buying charcoal or fuel.
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Education
Wonderbags give back time for girls to go to school. With every year of education, girls increase their earning potential.
Gender based violence
A Wonderbag reduces the amount of time women and girls are out collecting firewood, where they are often vulnerable to sexual assault. Additionally, when girls have time to go to school, they increase their earning potential and autonomy, making them less vulnerable to gender based violence.
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Job Creation
Factory and sewing collectives that produce Wonderbags provide women with paid work.
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Entrepreneurial
Once they own a Wonderbag, women often start their own businesses, such as serving hot food straight out of the Wonderbag at local markets or selling other crafts they now have time to make.
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Health
Women report re-investing money saved by Wonderbag cooking into more nutritious food for their families. They also report less health issues from indoor air pollution.
Stories of Resiliency
Here are some of the humanitarian initiatives we have been involved with in addition to our Carbon and Retail operations.
Ukraine
In 2022, over 2,500 Wonderbags were donated to two NGO's in Ukraine supporting families during the war with Russia.
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The Wonderbags were sent from our UK warehouse and were distributed to families fleeing from war-torn areas, such as Mariupol, as well as families remaining in Ukraine but had limited access to gas and electric for cooking.
PARTNERS: Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and Odessa As It Is
WONDERBAGS: 2,600
REGION: Ukraine
South Africa - COVID 19 Response
In 2020, over 60,000 Wonderbag non-electric slow cookers were produced as a well-timed response to the global pandemic. The funding came from a socially-responsible investment designed for maximum environmental and social benefit.
Wonderbag partnered with like-minded organisation PMB Community Chest and other NGOs to distribute these bags, helping families achieve their human potential while simultaneously helping reduce carbon emissions through more fuel-efficient cooking.
PARTNERS: PMB Community Chest, the Do More Foundation and over 60 other NGOs
WONDERBAGS: 60,000
REGION: South Africa
Uganda
"This bag has changed my problems. I can now cook anything I want without fear of burning" reported Evelyn Wani in our Red Cross Evaluation, Ugandan Refugee Settlements survey.
“I am so happy for this intervention, I am a member of a community farming group. The Wonderbag has been of great help since we carry our cooking food to the farm land. I would not hesitate to strongly recommend others to use this technology!” said Agnes Wani, a beneficiary in BidiBidi settlement.
PARTNERS: International Federation of Red Cross
WONDERBAGS: 100 family pilot test
REGION: BidiBidi Refugee Settlements
Ghana
“I used to burn a bundle of stalks for every meal, but now I use it for a week or more.” “The smoky nature of the cooking was bad. Now Wonderbag cooking has reduced my eye problems because I use less of the stalk,” reported the women in the Coalition of Good survey conducted with Pfizer in Ghana.
PARTNERS: Pfizer
WONDERBAGS: 5,000
REGION: Ghana
CO-EDUCATION: Health
Rwanda
Rugoma Dismas, 64, with his daughters Shela Munezero, 15, and Nuni Nduwumwami, 13 received a non-electric, portable cooker from Rwanda Red Cross. “Using the Wonderbag has reduced our firewood consumption to half,” Rugoma says. Since the food stays warm inside the Wonderbag for a long time, it makes Rugoma’s daughters happy, too.
“We prepare the food in the evening for the next day and store it in the Wonderbag. I am relieved to know that when I go to school, dad has something to eat during the day,” says Rugoma’s daughter Shela Munezero, 15.
PARTNERS: Rwanda Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross
WONDERBAGS: 5,000
REGION: Mahama Camp, Eastern Rwanda for Burundians
South Africa
“When you don’t have enough firewood, you can always rely on the Wonderbag.”
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‘’It’s better now than before with just fire and no Wonderbag. The Wonderbag came and made cooking fun and better’’
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‘’I spend very less time. I know that once my food is in the bag, I am done with my cooking’’
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“I love the Wonderbag. It saves my time and gives me tender food’’
PARTNERS: Zulu Rhino Reserve
WONDERBAGS: 50
REGION: KwaZulu-Natal
CO-EDUCATION: Anti-poaching text alert system
Malawi
Wonderbag ambassador Fides demonstrates Wonderbag as a tool that helps reduce climate change because it saves charcoal and firewood needed for preparing meals. Chikwawa District Director of Planning Developments honoured the event and urged all communities to avoid cutting down trees carelessly to reduce climate change.
PARTNERS: Community Forum, International Federation Red Cross
WONDERBAGS: 30 test and IFRC training program
REGION: Chikwawa, Southern Region
CO-EDUCATION: Deforestation
Jordan
“No longer do we have to fight for space and time in the kitchen. Wonderbag gives the women more freedom and now we make friends and not enemies; and some of our dignity is restored. We cook staple foods in the Wonderbag but also now we can make yogurt and bread dough and adapt new recipes. We use the Wonderbag 90% of the time and it doesn’t cost us anything to use it.” This is big help in their cramped conditions, where the kitchen is shared between 100 men and women.
PARTNERS: World Food Programme
WONDERBAGS: 700 in camp, 60,000 in region
REGION: Cyber City, Jordan
