For 23-year-old Maria Luvita, motherhood in Uma Naruc meant choosing between impossible priorities. In her household of six in the sub-village of Bua, where monthly income rarely exceeded $200, she spent long hours each day collecting wood while her three young children (two daughters and a son) patiently waited at home.

Cooking with la’lian (traditional stove) was a tedious process. The old way required stones arranged as a foundation, with six to eight dry sticks or pieces of wood fed constantly to keep the fire burning. It would engulf the corners of her home with a smoky haze, making her cough, irritating her children's lungs, and reddening their eyes. But cooking, despite its hurdles, meant feeding her family.

Wood collection consumed Maria's days. She scoured the land around their home for fallen branches, adequate sticks, and burnable material. When family gatherings or cultural events approached, she and her husband cut down trees, stockpiling dry wood for the cooking demands these occasions required.

Her husband helped when he could, collecting wood after returning from farm work. Yet when the children fell sick, much of the burden of managing her responsibilities fell on Maria—looking after her coughing children, gathering fuel, and preparing meals while maintaining the household, became an exhausting cycle with no relief.

"It was a hustle to look after the children when they got sick," she says quietly. "It took so much of my time."

In March 2025, Maria’s family received an improved cooking stove and a solar panel kit as part of the UNDP and Government of Japan’s Pacific Green Transformation Project, which brings renewable energy and sustainable solutions to improve lives, especially in remote areas.

The arrival of the improved cookstove transformed Maria and her family’s reality immediately. This new, sustainable cooking stove is compact and efficient, requiring only two pieces of dry wood maximum to burn effectively—a fraction of the fuel the traditional method consumed. The fire burns brighter and longer, helping her nourish her family while staying healthy with minimal smoke exposure.

"When we got the new stove, we felt so much more relaxed," Maria explains. "It doesn't take a lot of space, doesn't require much wood, and burns fast."

Hours previously spent collecting and stockpiling wood could now be used in a myriad of ways. Maria now finds adequate sticks without going too far away from her home, sufficient for everyday cooking needs. Her looming anxiety about fuel supply has slowly vanished.

"We don't have to spend a lot of time collecting and stocking dry wood anymore," she reflects. "We can easily find sticks around the house, and it's enough to make a good fire and cook food."

Water even boils faster now, essential to boil water for drinking, cleaning, and basic hygiene. Cooking no longer requires long hours, freeing Maria to focus on other household tasks, farm work, or simply spending time with her children without the constant pressure of tending an inefficient fire.

Her biggest relief has been the improvements she notices in her children’s health and well-being. Her daughters and son no longer cough through mealtimes. Her children's coughing reduced from being a daily occurrence to nearly vanishing.

"My children don't cough or get red eyes from the kitchen anymore," Maria says with evident relief. "I feel at ease now."

The transformation carries health and environmental implications beyond Maria’s household. Reduced wood consumption means a smaller household contribution to deforestation, reduced pressure on surrounding forests, and a lighter footprint on ecosystems that must sustain communities for generations. All while making everyday life easier and safer for rural families in Timor-Leste.

"I hope UNDP and the Government of Japan can continue supporting us, especially training us to make our own stoves," Maria says. "When we need them for cultural events, we can cook more and support family gatherings better."

Somewhere in a small cluster of homes in Uma Naruc, Maria turns on the solar light that hangs above her stove. She squats next to her new stove and cooks again, but now, without smoke, and without endless wood collection. As the rice boils, she finds herself worrying less about her children’s health. For Maria and the thousands of families like hers, these small changes open pathways to healthier, more sustainable futures.