A fogone is a wood-burning cook stove. It is made out of brinks and mud/cement.

In rural areas of Paraguay some families still cook all their meals over open fires. Oftentimes these fires are under a roof or inside the house. While cooking over an open fire is just fine while you are camping, it can negatively impact health if used for all meals throughout a lifetime.

Negative effects of open-fire cooking as a part of daily life:

• Back problems caused by having to bend over to cook
• Increased risk of upper respiratory infections due to breathing smoke
• Burns, a bigger risk for children playing by fires

A fogone offers an economical solution for families that use wood to cook. Gas is expensive and many traditional Paraguayan foods require a lot of time to cook. Wood is generally inexpensive and can be an environmentally friendly, sustainable option if the wood is harvested correctly.

Building the first couple layers of the fogone.

First two layers of the fogone.

Backside of the fogone.

Frontside of the fogone.

Checking out the done fogone – photo courtesy of Kelsey Levering

The fogone is done! – photo courtesy of Kelsey Levering