Dymphna’s Message for July 2018
Dear Friends,
For those of us working in the clean cooking sector, we know all too well that progress remains slow. This is the reality we face. Yet it is also clear that, while this issue won’t be solved overnight, it must be solved.
Thanks in large part to recent advancements across our sector, from the approval of the first-ever international cooking standard to the recent South-South Cooperation we hosted in Kenya to the increasing cooperation between governments, donors, and partners, I am confident we’re moving in the right direction. Now more than ever, there is an opportunity to scale up the approaches proven to work, to mobilize new resources, and to target those resources for maximum impact.
In my short time with the Alliance I have talked to numerous entrepreneurs about the challenges their businesses face, and more importantly, how we can help them obtain the tools and resources they need to achieve scale. I have heard from women in the countries where we work about how to improve the clean cooking experience to better meet their needs. At the recent UN High-Level Political Forum and in countless conversations, I have connected with donors, funders, and global leaders who reassuringly see the current rate of progress not as a time to pull back but instead as a call to action.
We are moving in the right direction. Now is not the time to slow down but to accelerate our work. By doing so, we will achieve the progress we know is possible and, in turn, solve one of the toughest development issues of our time.
Warmly,
Dymphna van der Lans