African Refugee Energy Workshop

Boiling Point
Issue 37 (1996) Household energy in emergency situations
Article	African Refugee Energy Workshop
Author	Matthew Owen, Stephen Gitonga

In November 1995 ITDG organized a three-day workshop funded by UNEP on refugee camps in East Africa.

Refugees are a distinct group of energy consumers. Not only do they suffer the well known problems of health, labour and finance associated with biomass use, they also bring with them the threat of significant environmental degradation and competition with indigenous populations in meeting their fuel demands. In recognition of this problem, relief and development agencies are becoming involved in energy and forest activities around refugee camps. Some of the experiences reported at the East African workshop may be useful for camp organisations elsewhere.

The workshop discussions included stove promotion, biomass energy conservation, fuel supply and forestry, non-biomass fuels and alternative cooking systems. It also considered ways of influencing energy policy on refugee camp energy problems and environmental impacts.

[top] [end]Participants

There were 27 participants representing the following organisations:
Kenya: ITDG, UNEP, GTZ RESCUE, UNHCR, Rural Technology Enterprises, Solar Cookers International
Tanzania: UNHCR, CARE, Swiss Disaster Relief
Burundi: GTZ Special Energy Programme
Uganda: ACORD, American Refugee Committee, UNHCR
Rwanda: Ministry of Energy and Public Works
Zaire: UNDPGEF, GTZ Biodiversity emergency programme, European Union Virunga National Park Project
USA: Solar cookers International
UK: Oxford Brookes University

[top] [end]Workshop Themes

firewood-saving technologies and their promotion
alternative biomass fuels and stoves
environmental work by agencies
ecological impacts of refugees and re-afforestation efforts
ecological impacts of refugees on firewood supply
planning for wood consumption and harvesting
gender and the dissemination of fuel saving technology
food and energy
participation of refugees and local communities
integrating development principles

[top] [end]Recommendations (summarized)

[top] [end]COOKING FUEL

should be treated as a basic need in refugee situations and provided in the emergency phase until medium and long term plans are instituted and their probable effects assessed.

[top] [end]NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

Refugee situations inevitably have NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS and a range of ameliorating approaches should be considered including biomass rehabilitation work such as afforestation; although this can rarely be expected to satisfy refugee fuel demands.

[top] [end]FUEL SAVING COOKING TECHNOLOGIES

Wood stoves
Protected (shielded) threestone fires
improved mud stoves
ceramic liner stoves (Maendeleo, UPESI, KCJ etc)
metal stoves (Rocket stove and multi-fuel/grass stove)

Figure 1: Fuel-saving stoves

[top] [end]Dissemination

No consensus was reached on basic promotion methods although a majority opposed free distribution except in the trial/promotional stage and for certain vulnerable groups. The idea of exchange commodities (such as labour or cash) was generally preferred. c{ Cooking practices

lids on pots
clay pots for slow cooking foods, metal for fast cooking foods
tenderising ingredients (negative effects on the nutritional value of food need funkier investigation) certain foods into smaller pieces
pre-soaking hard grains/beans (bearing in mind that soaking in chlorinated water has detrimental effects on nutrient content.)

[top] [end]ALTERNATIVE BIOMASS FUELS

peat when dried
grass, when dried
bundles of stalks (cane, corn)
blocks (compressed crop residues)
charcoal
briquettes (always more expensive than unchanged material ).

The residue fuel materials should only be burnt when they do not compromise future soil fertility. The health consequences of fuel smoke should also be considered.

[top] [end]NON-BIOMASS FUELS

Solar cookers now in the developmental and testing stages in camps in Kenya may contribute to fuel saving cooking in suitable climatic areas and under certain circumstances.

Kerosene was opposed at household level but may be appropriate for communal or centralized cooking where there is less chance of the fuel or hardware provided being sold.

[top] [end]CAMP DURATION

It should not be assumed that refugee situations are short lived. Approaches to energy must therefore be developmental, participatory and long term and include education, skills training, refugee empowerment and raising of self respect.

[top] [end]PRE-COOKING FOOD PREPARATION

The grinding of beans and hard grains should be promoted for energy saving eg processing by World Food Programme at break-of-bulk points, or introduction of grinding facilities within camps at household level (traditional stone or concrete systems) and at small industrial level (private grinding operations). Food choices should take account of the energy needed as well as nutritional values.

[top] [end]CONSULTATION WITH REFUGEES

The introduction of policies, practices or technologies which have impacts on labour and household activities should involve full consultation with refugees particularly women, allowing for proper consideration of the benefits and disadvantages in terms of labour and other factors.

[top] [end]POLICY CONTROL

Donors, rather than implementing agencies, control policy in the refugee sector in many cases and often respond positively to cost comparisons. There is thus a need for practitioners to collaborate on issues of common interest to provide such comparisons In a persistent and united manner if they wish to see policy changes. Issues of energy and environment are now being discussed with UNHCR. Sharing of camp experiences by regional exchanged visits should be carried out during the early stages of programme planning to ensure funding.

[top] [end]Acknowledgments

ITDG is grateful to Tony Edwards, Senior Advisor to the Executive Director UNEP for offering to provide partial funding in support of the workshop. The organisers also wish to thank Christian Lambrechts of UNEP for his support in organising conference facilities and for providing invaluable advice during the planning stage. We are also grateful to all participants for their contributions.

For a more detailed account of the refugee situation in East Africa our readers are recommended to obtain a copy of the following report which has recently been published: Meeting Energy Requirements in Refugees Situations: 'A Case Study in Household and Institutional Energy Interventions in Coma. Zaire and Dadaab, Kenya '. pp 108

[top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 37: Household energy in emergency situations

Energy options for Refugee Camps - ApTibeT Refugee Projects in Ladakh - Solar Cookits for Kenya Camps - Cooking Energy as Seen by a Planner - Stoves in Emergency Actions - Stoves for Centralized Cooking for Emergency Settlements - Camp Cooking - Stove Checklist for Refugee Situations - African Refugee Energy Workshop - Sunseed solar cooker-Tanzania trials 1995 - Vietnam Low-Cost Solar Water Heater - Energy for domestic brewing and bread baking - Indian Chulha technology since 1983

Categories: Boiling Point 37| Refugees| Workshop| Africa

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