PROJECT OVERVIEW

Energy poverty primarily affects poor, rural women in Namibia.  Women in Namibia are traditionally responsible for cooking, typically over an open fire.  1.3-1.6 million women and children die worldwide as a result of air pollution each year caused by smoke inhalation from cooking fires.  In addition, many women spend hours collecting wood to cook, reducing the time available for education and income-generation.  Women are also responsible for preparing children for school, tending crops, maintaining the home, and traveling to and from markets, among numerous other tasks that involve energy-use. 

In May 2010, Elephant Energy received a small grant from the Open Meadows Foundation to initiate the Women's Energy Project ("WE Project") and additional funding has been provided by IRDNC to continue the project.  The WE Project has established nine women’s groups in the Kwandu Conservancy in Namibia and Mbala area in Zambia to locate and test appropriate sustainable energy technologies ("ASETs") that meet the specific needs of women.  Through the project, 62 women's group participants proved that many tasks traditionally preformed by women can be made easier, safer, and more efficient with the help of ASETs.  Efficient cookstoves reduced emissions and decreased the amount of wood needed to cook a meal; solar-powered lighting increased the amount of time available for activities like reading; crank radios provided access to information; and solar-chargers allowed women the chance to charge cell phones and maintain contact with their families.