While volunteering with medical missions in Guatemala, Hughes saw the health effects of open-fire cooking firsthand. In response, Hughes contacted experts in the field of improved cook stoves to design a stove for Latin America and founded StoveTeam International in 2008. The charity is a non-profit organization that works to bring improved cook stoves to people in Latin America through its use of public donations, which directly fund the development of stove-building factories, owned and operated by local entrepreneurs.
