This project will supply female Ugandan refugees with solar cooking tools and water purification indicators to reduce their reliance on dangerous and unhealthy charcoal stoves and increase their access to safe water. This will greatly improve the health and safety of refugee families.
In the Acholi Quarter, a community of refugee families displaced by civil war, meals are cooked on charcoal stoves inside the home. Although charcoal stoves are inefficient and dangerous to run and the fuel is costly, it is the only option. The World Health Organization estimates that indoor smoke exposure from burning fuel kills almost 2 million people yearly and causes nearly 50% of pneumonia deaths among children under 5. This community is also at risk of water-borne diseases.
We provide solar cooking tools, reduced use charcoal stoves and water purification indicators to 50 women. They receive a two day training on how to properly use the equipment from a local Ugandan professional. These tools significantly improve the families' health, reduce the risk of fire in the home, and save money normally spent on expensive fuel.
50 women, who head households of an average of 5 children, will spend a reduced amount of money on charcoal and have more funds to spend on other necessities. They will have less exposure to smoke inside the home and have access to clean water, leading to less illness and better health outcomes. Fires in the home will be less likely to occur. Better health statuses will allow the families more opportunities to succeed. The decreased use of charcoal will also benefit the environment.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
