New Zealand-based fireplace company Escea has partnered with humanitarian organisation ReliefAid to design and deliver an innovative cooking solution for displaced communities: the Fire for Life cookstove. Designed specifically for displaced communities in conflict zones and disaster-affected areas, Fire for Life is a portable stove that provides a safer, more efficient alternative to traditional open-fire cooking.
Currently being distributed in Syrian refugee camps, the Fire for Life cookstove addresses urgent needs—reducing smoke inhalation, lowering fire hazards, and cutting wood consumption by up to 50%. Its compact, stainless-steel design is lightweight, durable, and easy to assemble, ensuring families can cook with dignity, even in the most challenging conditions.
Unlike conventional aid products, the stove was developed with long-term resilience in mind. Escea applied their experience in high-performance fireplace technology to rethink the cookstove through a humanitarian lens—focusing on heat transfer efficiency, fuel savings, and user experience. The result is a product that not only supports basic survival, but restores a sense of normalcy and self-reliance in daily life.
The project is partly funded by profits from the sale of Escea's fireplaces, with additional support from private donations.
The Fire for Life is available to purchase by anyone for use as a recreational outdoor cooking stove. For each stove sold, Escea donates two more to families in need.
