In Burundi, many former refugees and IDPs (internally displaced persons due to natural disasters and climate change-induced food insecurity) are now being assisted to return home. Returnees often come back owning almost nothing except little savings. It is anticipated that upon resettling, many will use inefficient cooking systems that have been entrenched across most central African communities. These normal cooking systems require a large amount of fuel and are very smoky, which disproportionally exposes women and children to household air pollution and can result in adverse health effects like respiratory illnesses and ischemic heart disease. Meanwhile, much more firewood needs to be extracted out of the neighboring forests, and more time spent by women and children for gathering and transporting the wood.

The amount of wood we used for two days with the old cook stoves lasts us a week with the new cook stove.

Returnee

The project is distributing improved cook stoves (ICS) to returnees via aid packages which also include items such as clothing, food, medical supplies etc. The stoves distributed through this project will encourage returnees to replace the prevailing inefficient three-stone fire places or traditional cookstoves that are predominantly used across the region. The new efficient stoves provide for an efficient transfer of the thermal energy, generated through the combustion of biomass, to the cooking pot.

There is thus a resultant reduction in both biomass consumption and in greenhouse gas emissions. Reduction of biomass consumption avoids deforestation, reduces expenses associated with purchasing fuel. There will also be an economic benefit in that the stoves will be produced locally in Bujumbura.

The project implementer OBEN is a local NGO with a solid track record, active in climate projects for more than 15 years and already operating five successful carbon programmes. The OBEN production facility is located in Bujumbura and features three lines of production for the stoves. Leveraging carbon finance, this project will allow the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with cooking, and allow for the more sustainable use of biomass resources within Burundi.