2023 Seed Grant Award Problem Statements

Good Health and Well Being

Problem #10: Need Alternatives to Cooking with Open Fire and Using Wood for Cooking Fuel

Country/Region of execution:  Rwanda

Collaborating Organization:  Integrated Development Action Rwanda (IDA Rwanda)

INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT ACTION RWANDA (IDA RWANDA) is a Rwandan non-Government organization founded in 2016. The organization is registered in Rwanda with registration certificate No 349/RGB/NGO/OC/12/2017 and legal personality certificate No: 442/RGB/NGO/LP/03/2019. IDA Rwanda’s mission is to promote the development of the living standards of vulnerable people and minorities in rural areas of Rwanda. The vision is to build an environment that eliminates social injustices and inequalities. IDA Rwanda carries out its activities in different intervention areas including but not limited to Health and Education, Human rights promotion and development, WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene), and environmental protection and preservation. We have successfully implemented different projects in the above intervention areas with financial support from National and international partners such as The Leiter Family Foundation, Engineers Without Borders USA/Purdue University Chapter, Texas A&M University Chapter…

Problem Statement Description:  The World Bank measured in 2016 that only 0.5% of Rwanda ‘s 12.6 million inhabitants had access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking. Instead, people heavily depend on solid fuels and wood, in particular, cooking on traditional open fires.

The use of biomass, in particular firewood, holds huge importance in Rwanda and accounts for at least 86% of energy consumption. Wood fuel is in particularly high demand, especially in rural areas where 98% of households rely on wood as their main cooking fuel. Extensive harvesting of wood is still causing significant problems of carbon emissions produced by inefficient fires and the impact on biodiversity and the environment caused by forest degradation in Rwanda. In addition, it can take up to 4 hours every day to gather sufficient fuel which means missing out on school and other more productive activities, perpetuating gender inequality.

This has a catastrophic impact on the health, and well-being of people in rural communities and the environment in general. Women and children bear the brunt of cooking and tending the fire. Hence, they disproportionately suffer from the effects of smoke inhalation and it is women and girls who bear the burden of gathering firewood.

The main cause of the problem is that there is no alternative cooking fuel in remote areas; only open firewood is available. It is important to initiate the communities to an alternative source of cooking fuel that is economical and environmentally friendly, not harmful to health, and not time-consuming so that they allocate the time for other development activities.

We have started awareness discussions during community meetings held each last Saturday of the month, and they are highly committed to contributing as much as they can to have access to efficient, smokeless, and affordable cookstoves in the community.