Apro’tech is a social enterprise that stands for small scale appropriate technology solutions. We develop and build clean-burning, efficient masonry heaters from natural materials for people living in poverty.
We are small-scale because we believe the key to solving societal problems has to happen through communities, through many small steps (apró in Hungarian means tiny).
We use appropriate technology because we believe everybody has the right to access good quality, sustainable technologies that are suitable to their needs and financial situation.
We are a social enterprise because we, as a civil society organisation, invest our resources into a cause we believe in, and when our activities are successful, they generate social capital. Furthermore, it is important that we raise funds and income from a variety of sources.
Today in Hungary, millions live in poverty, many in extreme conditions. For people living in rural areas it is increasingly difficult to make a living and access opportunities. For many, even fulfilling their basic needs is a challenge: food, housing, utilities, education, health care.
The goal of Apro’tech is to provide accessible services to the most vulnerable communities, primarily in order to reduce the hardships of winter wood heating.
The poorest rural households also live in energy poverty, which means that they cannot adequately heat their homes, or can only do so by spending disproportionate amounts of their income on heating. They typically heat with wood, live in houses that are in bad condition with very poor heat insulation and without the means to buy more efficient and more expensive heating equipment. What this means is that a poor family needs considerably more wood to heat their house than a better-off family would in a same sized house.
In Hungary, majority of small particle emissions (PM10 and PM2) are caused by household wood heating and illegal burning of waste (such as garden clippings) resulting in the premature death of tens of thousands of citizens each year. Therefore, it is essential to make technologies accessible which are healthy, environmentally friendly and ensure efficient household heating – especially to the most marginalized people.
We are designing and building brick and traditional tiled masonry heaters. These have two main advantages compared to the metal stoves which are typically used nowadays by low-income communities:
- Wood burns much cleaner and hotter due to an accurately designed fire box
- The smoke and heat doesn’t directly exit through the chimney, but first it heats up a large thermal mass (up to 1-2 tonnes) which then slowly releases this heat to the rooms over 8-18 hours
The heaters we provide mean huge financial savings and reduced time associated with collecting and preparing wood fuel for impoverished families as well as a minimized burden on our environment.
We welcome your support so that we can continue our work.
Our bank details:
- Name: Vedegylet Egyesulet
- IBAN: HU89162001510006725200000000
- BIC/SWIFT code: HBWEHUHB
- Reference: apro’tech & your email address (so we can send you confirmation once we received your donation)
Our bank account is with the Hungarian ethical bank Magnet Bank who specializes in services for non-profit organizations.
Donors
Our work is supported by:
