{"id":20773,"date":"2025-09-18T17:02:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T15:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/endev.info\/?post_type=impact_story&p=20773"},"modified":"2026-02-04T15:31:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T14:31:03","slug":"clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone","status":"publish","type":"impact_story","link":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/","title":{"rendered":"Clean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

In Sierra Leone, Westwind Energy is transforming kitchens and lives with cleaner, more efficient cookstoves. Inspired by co-founder Hannah Max-Macarthy\u2019s personal journey to prevent smoke-related illnesses, the company is not only scaling up production but also empowering women in the workforce, proving that sustainable energy solutions can spark both social and environmental change.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Hannah McCarthy and her colleague Tapsir N\u2019Jai founded Wonderstoves in 2012. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

When Hannah Max-Macarthy partnered with the entrepreneur Tapsir N\u2019Jai to found Westwind Energy in 2012, it was about more than just scaling up his family business, which had been retailing \u201cWonderstoves\u201d for over two decades. It was also about combating climate change through cleaner, more efficient cooking solutions. But, most of all, it was personal: Hannah had lost her mother to a smoke-related illness caused by indoor air pollution. Knowing that improved cookstoves (ICS) dramatically reducethe health hazards of traditional cooking methods \u2013 using half the fuel for faster cooking \u2013 spurred her to invest in a cleaner cooking future for all.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Building on a household name<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Wonderstoves were so well known in Sierra Leone that any stove with a clay insert was known as such. But when Hannah started collaborating with EnDev, the possibilities of scaling up really began to take shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Wonderstoves employees working on institutional stoves.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Only 1% of the population of Sierra Leone has adopted clean cooking. Hannah recognised that Westwind needed to evolve from handmade to mechanised cookstoves to shift the dial significantly. With support from EnDev, which provided machinery and funding, Westwind ramped up production. The first real test was the installation of institutional cookstoves in boarding homes and schools in collaboration with EnDev.<\/p>\n

With a monthly production capacity of 8,000 stoves and more than 50,000 units distributed in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia since 2012, Westwind Energy has firmly established itself in the market and steadily expanded its leading position. Today, Westwind Energy not only attends but also delivers training for other companies to build better, more efficient cookstoves.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n

Women at the forefront of the cookstove revolution<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Hannah is also acutely aware that just as women suffer the ill effects of inefficient stoves, they are the first to benefit from improved cookstoves. When EnDev trialled improved cookstoves in school kitchens in Sierra Leone, the women who cooked in those kitchens saw the benefits real quick. Hannah remembers: \u201cThey started seeing the positive effects. And they said hang on, this cookstove makes me not get exposed to smoke. I\u2019m not sweating anymore. I can dress well and cook. So they started asking, how can we have these stoves in our homes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Westwind has now adopted a gender-transformative policy to hire women. EnDev funded the first cohort of women to work in the factory for three months, and today Westwind runs the government-certified \u201cEarn to Learn\u201d initiative that pays female trainees to work in the factory for 2 years. Of the company\u2019s 30 employees, 40% are women, including in roles conventionally taken by men. For Hannah, this is a critical part of Westwind\u2019s journey. \u201cIt gives the women a sense of pride,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n

In December 2024, Westwind Energy received the Clean Cooking and Building of the Year Award<\/em> at the 9th ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum<\/em>. Hannah is not one to rest on her laurels, however \u2013 she says the company plans to get improved cookstoves into a million homes in the next 5 years. Her mother would have been proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hannah McCarthy and wonderstoves employees at the fabrication side<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Ressources<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn more about Westwind Energy.<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn more about EnDev’s work on clean cooking.<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Building on a household name Wonderstoves were so well known in Sierra Leone that any stove with a clay insert was known as such. But when Hannah started collaborating with …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20780,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"is_bp_topic":[755,733,732,747],"impact_story_category":[741],"class_list":["post-20773","impact_story","type-impact_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","is_bp_topic-bds","is_bp_topic-clean-cooking","is_bp_topic-gender","is_bp_topic-professionalisation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone - EnDev<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Sierra Leone, Westwind Energy is transforming kitchens and lives with cleaner, more efficient cookstoves. Inspired by co-founder Hannah Max-Macarthy\u2019s personal journey to prevent smoke-related illnesses, the company is not only scaling up production but also empowering women in the workforce, proving that sustainable energy solutions can spark both social and environmental change.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone - EnDev\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Sierra Leone, Westwind Energy is transforming kitchens and lives with cleaner, more efficient cookstoves. Inspired by co-founder Hannah Max-Macarthy\u2019s personal journey to prevent smoke-related illnesses, the company is not only scaling up production but also empowering women in the workforce, proving that sustainable energy solutions can spark both social and environmental change.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EnDev\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-04T14:31:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/endev.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/C0048T01-e1758182892645.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1092\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/\",\"name\":\"Clean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone - EnDev\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/C0048T01-e1758182892645.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-18T15:02:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-04T14:31:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"In Sierra Leone, Westwind Energy is transforming kitchens and lives with cleaner, more efficient cookstoves. Inspired by co-founder Hannah Max-Macarthy\u2019s personal journey to prevent smoke-related illnesses, the company is not only scaling up production but also empowering women in the workforce, proving that sustainable energy solutions can spark both social and environmental change.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/C0048T01-e1758182892645.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/C0048T01-e1758182892645.jpg\",\"width\":1092,\"height\":660},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Impact Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Clean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/\",\"name\":\"EnDev\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/endev.info\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Clean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone - EnDev","description":"In Sierra Leone, Westwind Energy is transforming kitchens and lives with cleaner, more efficient cookstoves. Inspired by co-founder Hannah Max-Macarthy\u2019s personal journey to prevent smoke-related illnesses, the company is not only scaling up production but also empowering women in the workforce, proving that sustainable energy solutions can spark both social and environmental change.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"Clean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone - EnDev","og_description":"In Sierra Leone, Westwind Energy is transforming kitchens and lives with cleaner, more efficient cookstoves. Inspired by co-founder Hannah Max-Macarthy\u2019s personal journey to prevent smoke-related illnesses, the company is not only scaling up production but also empowering women in the workforce, proving that sustainable energy solutions can spark both social and environmental change.","og_url":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/","og_site_name":"EnDev","article_modified_time":"2026-02-04T14:31:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1092,"height":660,"url":"https:\/\/endev.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/C0048T01-e1758182892645.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/","url":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/","name":"Clean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone - EnDev","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/endev.info\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/endev.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/C0048T01-e1758182892645.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-18T15:02:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-04T14:31:03+00:00","description":"In Sierra Leone, Westwind Energy is transforming kitchens and lives with cleaner, more efficient cookstoves. Inspired by co-founder Hannah Max-Macarthy\u2019s personal journey to prevent smoke-related illnesses, the company is not only scaling up production but also empowering women in the workforce, proving that sustainable energy solutions can spark both social and environmental change.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/endev.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/C0048T01-e1758182892645.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/endev.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/C0048T01-e1758182892645.jpg","width":1092,"height":660},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/clean-cooking-westwind-energy-stirs-change-in-sierra-leone\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Impact Stories","item":"https:\/\/endev.info\/impact-stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Clean cooking: Westwind Energy stirs change in Sierra Leone"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/endev.info\/#website","url":"https:\/\/endev.info\/","name":"EnDev","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/endev.info\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact_story\/20773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/impact_story"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"is_bp_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/is_bp_topic?post=20773"},{"taxonomy":"impact_story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endev.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact_story_category?post=20773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}