In the second semester of 2013, five ARMI staff, one SNV advisor and two testers from DST and RENMI attended a stove testing training in Cambodia, organized by GERES. All ICS programme attendees agreed that the training was beneficial in improving their stove testing skills and understanding of the theory and practice of a range of aspects of stove testing.
In December 2013, a two-day workshop was organised at a producer’s production centre in Vientiane capital. Thirty-one people participated, including 16 producers (two of whom were women) and government partners. The workshop involved discussion and exchange of knowledge among stove producers, as well as the introduction of ICS production techniques and the Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) Protocols. The producers also discussed production plans for 2014 and opportunities to improve tools and their production areas, in order to be able produce large numbers of high-quality ICS. Attendees also agreed in principle to establish an association of stove producers at an appropriate time.
At the end of 2013, the programme had engaged 13 more producers across the three locations and 11 producers had produced a total of 6,760 ICS. Currently a total of 15 producers have been identified and five more producers are expected to join the programme in 2014.