This report presents the results of the baseline survey on the project “Promoting Solar Powered Energy Efficient Stoves in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement”. Kyangwali settlement is one of the eleven (11)1 refugee settlements in Uganda with a population of over 12,780 refugees who mainly come from DRC (118,390 refugees); South Sudan (3,383 refugees); Rwanda (1,124 refugees); Burundi (107 refugees); Kenya (11 refugees); Somali (7 refugees) and Sudan (2 refugees) (UNHCR, 2020). It is located in Kikuube district in Western Uganda bordered by DRC in the West, Hoima district in the North and Kagadi in the South.
This innovative clean energy project is being implemented by CARE International in Uganda in partnership with African Clean Energy (ACE) and Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC) and is supported by the Dutch Relief Alliance Innovation Fund. It aims at improving the accessibility of quality and affordable clean energy solutions to refugees (particularly women) in the Kyangwali refugee settlement. The project’s innovative package includes two complementary programs namely; a) The User Referral Bonus (URB) model whereby the ACE package (ACE one stove + smart phone + solar powered lamp) will be made affordable to refugees in Kyangwali settlement and host communities, by allowing for payment in installments and also enabling URB participants to earn waivers on their monthly instalments through recommendation of peers; and b) Briquetting program whereby the first ten groups (farming cooperatives/VSLAs) which enroll at least half of their members into the URB will be supported with knowledge and equipment for clean, biomass briquette production, and also empowered to set up their own briquetting businesses.