Description
Since the war started in Darfur, more than 200,000 Sudanese have fled to Chad, one of the poorest countries in the world. In the semi-desert border region, the refugees have been staying in refugee camps for more than 15 years where they rely on scarce wood for cooking.
The CooKit is a solar cooker that can be used for cooking with the help of solar energy, which is abundant in Chad. This project is providing the refugees with the necessary material, knowledge, and training to manufacture their own CooKit solar cooker and to prepare their meals using energy from the sun.
How it works
The CooKit has a simple design and is made of cardboard and aluminum foilSunlight is reflected through the foil on a black-painted pan that is contained in a heat-resistant plastic bag in which the warm air circulates After the cooker has been in the sun for 2 to 3 hours, most dishes are ready. With a so-called Guffah, an insulating wicker basket, the food can be kept at the right temperature until dinnerThe CooKits are manufactured locally in six workshops across the camps, and each is fully run by around 20 women. Every family receives two CooKits and training for use
Why this project
Through this project, tens of thousands of refugees get the chance to improve their lives enormously with the help of solar cookers. Women and children no longer have to leave the camp to get wood which saves them a lot of time and considerably improves their safety. Moreover, the project has chosen the cheapest and easiest-to-make model of cooker, allowing its use by even the poorest and the possibility for users to make replacement cookers themselves, following training.
Benefits
- Average of 8,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions saved per year
- More than 8,000 smoke-free solar cookers are being used in the refugee camp of Iridimi
- Clean cooking method preventing the inhalation of harmful smoke
- Building the capacity of women in the camps on manufacturing solar cookers for their community and tracking their distribution
- Time-saving options for women to generate more income
