01.01.2024
Caritas Gulu
Gender-inclusive clean cooking
Problem & Solution
Many households in the Acholi sub-region of Northern Uganda used to cook their food using firewood and sometimes charcoal. Women and children spent a lot of time on the often, dangerous task of collecting firewood, and women faced increased domestic violence fueled by the inconveniences of firewood in food preparation. Households spent a lot of money on purchase of firewood/ charcoal, and many men would not cook due to the difficulty of cooking with firewood. Neighbours had less friendly relations since there was little sharing of resources.
The solution was to construct biogas plants on household level fuelled by dung and wastes. The gas produced is used for cooking and can be shared with neighbours (who do not own cattle) through long pipes and tractor tubes.
The experience
- Community Engagement and Awareness: Caritas Gulu and the other stakeholders initiated engagement with government officials and acquired lists of livestock farmers. Substantial awareness about biogas was created within the community through radio talk shows.
- Assessment: Project staff identified potential beneficiaries through community outreaches and verified them. Lead biogas technicians assessed locations for implementation and filled cost sheets to determine contributions from both beneficiaries and the project.
- Implementation: Biogas digesters measuring 6 to 15 m3 were constructed, providing gas for cooking. Training on biogas plant operation and maintenance, waste management, and backyard gardening was provided. The use of tractor tubes and longer pipes for gas-sharing allows more than one household to use the biogas from one digester. Through a cost-sharing model, the project participants contributed at least 20% of the biogas system construction cost, in forms of finances, labour, materials, and attending training to enhance their ownership of the project.
Challenges
- Sometimes members of the households, who are responsible for the biogas plants, leave home for about two weeks during farming period, which can affect the functionality of the biogas system as the digester needs to be filled regularly
Impact
- Reduced workload and time loss (for women and girls) collecting firewood; less time spent cooking
- Reduced exposure to indoor smoke and related health risks
- Normalisation of shared domestic work (i.e. cooking) hence improved relationships between men and women in the household
- Improved community relations due to free sharing of gas and collaborative maintenance
Lessons Learned
- Biogas systems can be a game changer for sharing roles in cooking, improved relationship in community and environmental conservation
- There is need to build capacity on gender issues, and the construction, operation and maintenance of the biogas system
