Solar Cooking
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{{CountryPageHeader|Solar Cooking in Kenya|In 2019, [[Solar Cookers International]] provided 300 people with solar cookers and the training to use them in the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]].}}
 
==Events==
 
==Events==
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{{KenyaEvents}}
See [[Calendar of events]]
 
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{{CalendarAndPastEvents}}
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==Significant project==
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[[Image:Kakuma12.jpg|thumb|300px|Refugees from [[Sudan]] are trained by [[Solar Cookers International]] in the use of their new [[CooKit]] solar cookers.]]
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*'''The Kakuma Refugee Camp was the first to receive a large scale solar cooking project''' - The [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]] was formed in 1972 when Sudanese refugees first arrived in Kakuma, Kenya. Introducing solar cooking to the camp was [[Solar Cookers International]]’s first and largest refugee project, beginning in January 1995. Kakuma had considerable refugee turnover, but by 2004, when Solar Cookers International (SCI) concluded the project, the camp had tripled in size to nearly 90,000 refugees. Though rapid growth posed problems for assisting all those who wanted to solar cook, SCI ultimately served over 15,000 families. This project was one of the earliest to use the [[CooKit]] [[solar panel cooker]] to introduce solar cooking. The program also extended solar cooker technology to schools, especially primary schools, through demonstrations, poems, songs and drama.
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{{SignificantProjectLink}}
   
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=={{HeadingNews}}==
==News and recent developments==
 
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*{{NewMar24}}'''March 2024: Producing more Funnel solar cookers:''' - Didacus Pius Odhiambo has provided photos of assembling several more Funnel solar cookers for [[Farmers with a Vision]].
[[File:Gaudenziah Wedende pours sun cooked tea for a customer., 2-21-12.jpg|thumb|150px|Gaudenziah Wedende pours sun cooked tea for a customer at the Seeing is Believing Cafe.]]
 
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:<gallery widths="300" spacing="small"hideaddbutton="true"columns=3>
*'''February 2012: '''[[Camily Wedende|Camily and Gaudenziah Wedende]] have started the Seeing is Believing Cafe in Eldoret, [[Kenya]]. They are cooking cakes, tea, and other solar-cooked goodies, and selling them in front of their [[Sun Cookers International]] business. Tanya Cothran, Director of [[Spirit in Action]], [http://godsspiritinaction.org/solar-cookers-cafe/ writes about their cafe] on the Spirit in Action's blog.
 
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FWaV 1, 3-8-24.png
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FWaV 2, 3-8-24.png
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FWaV 3, 3-8-24.png
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</gallery>
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{{TextAlign|''Photo credit: [[Farmers with a Vision]]''|right}}
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*{{NewOct23}}'''October 2023:''' A celebration at the completion of a successful [[integrated solar cooking]] workshop in Kenya’s Kwale district, led by the engineer Penina Nzioka, with coordination assistance from [[Bernhard Müller]].
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[[File:Bernhard Müller attends workshop celebration, 10-26-23.png|thumb|400px|center|[[Bernhard Müller]] attends the workshop celebration at the completion of participant training, led by engineer Penina Nzioka. The handsome [[Heat-retention cooking|heat-retention baskets]] on display were assembled by the group, ''Photo credit: Penina Nzioka'']]
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*{{NewSep23}}'''September 2023:''' [[Camily Wedende]] of [[Sun Cookers International]] provided a solar cooking demonstration to [[Kenya|Kenyan]] locals in West Pokot County. Attendance was greater than expected, so food portions had to be rationed some. Camily used a collection of [[Haines 1]] solar panel cookers provided by [[Roger Haines]] to prepare a midday meal. Participants witnessed solar cooking in action for the first time, and were quite impressed.
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::<gallery widths="320" spacing="small"hideaddbutton="true"columns=3>
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Camily 1, 9-13-23.png|Participants pose with the [[Haines 1]] solar cookers
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Camily 3, 9-13-23.png|Preparing the ingredients for the solar cookers
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Camily 2, 9-13-23.png|Dinner is shared
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</gallery>{{TextAlign|''Photo credit: [[Camily Wedende]]''|right}}
   
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*{{NewApr23}}'''April 2023:''' Nicholas Kithembe of the Tonembee Association has provided photos of a recent [[Integrated Cooking Method]] demonstration at Kithuia Village sponsored by Sub Country Sports. They displayed the use of the [[CooKit]], [[Haines 1]] , [[Haines 2.0]] solar cookers, the water purification [[WAPI]] indicator, and how to use a fireless basket for [[Heat-retention cooking|heat-retention cooking]].
[[File:Peter Mwathi solar water heater, 2-17-12.jpg|250px|thumb|[[Peter Mwathi]] with his solar water heating system.]]
 
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:::::::<gallery widths="300" spacing="small"hideaddbutton="true"columns=2>
*'''February 2012:''' [[Peter Mwathi]] has been developing an inexpensive solar water heating system, designed to provide warm water for domestic tasks. The water is stored below ground, and has stayed warm enough to use for as long as three days. It is not intended to be a water pasteurization system. He says a system costing Sh. 20,000 can heat water for up to 200 people, while another with measurements of 30 m. by 3 m. can heat water for 600 people. [http://mashinani411.site.co.ke/2012/02/16/exploiting-solar-energy-nyeri-man-best-alternative/ Read more...]
 
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Tonembee 1, 4-6-23.png
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Tonembee 2, 4-6-23.png|Unpacking the tools for integrated cooking
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Tonembee 3, 4-6-23.png|Explaining the basics of the solar cooker
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Tonembee 4, 4-6-23.png|The cook pot uses a polycarbonate clear sleeve to help retain the heat
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</gallery>{{TextAlign|''Photo credit: [[Tonembee Association]]''|right}}
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[[File:Kakuma cooker photo, 3-29-23.png|thumb|300px|Woman examines an [[Ecomandate|Ecomandate Foundation]] built [[:Category:Solar box cooker designs|solar box oven]] at the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]], ''Photo credit SCI'']]
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*{{NewApr23}}'''March 2023: Solar Cookers International in partnership with the Ecomandate Foundation''' - The organizations have implemented an ongoing solar cooking project at the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]] in [[Kenya]]. [[Solar Cookers International]] emphasizes and applies best practices in project development and project monitoring and evaluation. [[Ecomandate|Ecomandate Foundation]] brings hands-on construction, their local experience as part of the community, and familiarity with local customs, practices, and languages. [https://www.climate-chance.org/en/best-pratices/improving-lives-through-solar-cooking-in-kakuma-refugee-camp/ Read more...]
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{{Clr}}
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*{{NewFeb23}}'''February 2023:''' A multi-day solar cooker construction and use workshop took place in Eldoret Kenya. It became a reality through the efforts of a number of supporting individuals, non-profit organizations, and manufacturers. The [[solar panel cooker]] materials were provided by [[Haines Solar Cookers]], with general funding by the [https://www.sandiegorotary.club Rotary Club of San Diego]. [[Solar Education Project]] founders, [[Mary Buchenic]] and Jennifer Gasser wrote workbooks and translated them into Swahili for the participants. Additional project support was provided by [[Solar Household Energy]]. The workshop leader was Grace Chepkemei, who was assisted by local solar cooking advocate [[Camily Wedende]]. Participants were excited about the training, and surprised at the variety and excellent taste of the foods they prepared.
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::[[File:Haines Solar Cooking Workshop in Eldoret, Kenya 2022-2|400px|thumb|none]]
   
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*{{NewJan23}}'''December 2022:''' Visit to [[Farmers with a Vision]] by Joshua Katagwa of Mayunge, [[Uganda]] and Maimuna Nangobi of Jinja Renewable Consult, Uganda. They were shown how the [[solar box cooker]] and the [[evacuated tube]] solar cooker are operated, and assembled.
*'''January 2012:''' [[Solar Cookers International]] officially launched the Obunga Slum and Kibos Sugar Mill Labor Camp projects, both located in Kisumu, [[Kenya]] on January 26, 2012. The event celebrated the energy, the solutions, and the message that all people have the capacity to improve their own lives. SCI has been welcomed and encouraged to work within these communities by the local leaders, Chiefs, and Administrators. Representatives from both sites who attended the launch are eager to learn more about clean cook technologies and become agents of change.
 
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::<gallery widths="270" spacing="small"hideaddbutton="true">
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Farmers with a Vision is visited, 12-30-22 copy.png|Using the [[solar box oven]] is explained
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Farmers with a Vision is visited, 12-30-22 (2).png|Visiting the FWAV facility
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Farmers with a Vision is visited, 12-30-22 (3).png|The operation of the [[evacuated tube]] solar cooker is demonstrated
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</gallery>
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:::::::::::::::*''Photo credits: Farmers with a Vision''
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*{{NewDec22}}'''December 2022:''' In April 2022 [[Bernhard Müller]] made a video how to make a fireless cookers at Armstrong Women Empowerment Centre in Kisumu, Kenya under the leadership of Elva Rebecca "Beckie" Ondiek. "It took two full days of intense work to make. The video was first published with German subtitles on YouTube. It took me a very long time to look for somebody to help me editing the video in English language. Eventually, [[Sara Hjalmarsson]] of [[Engineers Without Borders - Sweden]] (EWB-S) did this absolutely stunning work." The video is now available by clicking on the link: [https://youtu.be/uglZKm7o0So DIY Heat Retention Baskets - Fireless Cookers]
   
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[[File:Kihuha Bruno demonstrates Haines panel cooker, 12-1-22.png|thumb|300px|Kihuha Bruno demonstrates a [[Haines Solar Cookers|Haines panel cooker]] by preparing a meal at the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]], ''Photo credit: Kihuha Bruno'']]
[[File:Eldoret,_Kenya_students_2010.jpg|thumb|350px|Eldoret, [[Kenya]] students with their recently constructed [[solar panel cooker]]s.]]
 
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*{{NewDec22}}'''December 2022:''' Kihuha Bruno has been a longtime advocate of using solar cooking, particularly with those having limited resources. He has worked frequently at the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]] in [[Kenya]] demonstrating the effectiveness of [[Haines Solar Cookers]], thereby avoiding [[deforestation]] from firewwood collection, and [[Household air pollution|respiratory illness]] from using open fires for cooking.
*'''February 2011: Student success shows independent spread of solar cooking''' - The [[Eldoret Student Projects]] in [[Kenya]], spearheaded by [[Camily Wedende]] of [[Sun Cookers International]], and aided by long-distance advisor, [[Sharon Cousins]], of [[Solar Cookers International]], have taken an important step in that spread with a student team who not only learned how to cook with sunshine but also learned to take a creative and scientific approach to solar cooking. Students researched existing solar cookers on the [[Solar Cookers World Network]] site. They put their heads together and came up with new ideas to try. They performed comparative tests on an existing model and two of their prototypes. While all three reached cooking temperatures, one innovation showed the strongest performance at their location. All twenty students built durable [[solar panel cooker]]s to take home to the camps where they live, and have been using them to prepare food and provide water [[pasteurization]] for their families. They keep records of their progress and experiments, amazing the neighbors who stop by to see food cooking in a stove powered by sunshine, a stove that children in their community helped to invent. Camily and the team hope that other schools and clubs can use the example of their pilot project to help more youth become scientists for solar cooking, to aid in the spread of this bright idea whose time has come.
 
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[[File:Fireless cookers, Nairobi, Kenya, 8-29-22.png|thumb|300px|Fireless cooker workshop with Samuel Odhiambo in Nairobi, ''Photo credit: [[AfriShiners'']]]]
* '''January 2011: African solar cooking partnership project visited by Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the [[United States|U.S.]] Vice President.''' [[Lift Up Africa]] is a strong believer that partnering and sharing resources is a key to successful implementation and sustainability. This project was designed to introduce solar cooking and related technologies to ten communities in [[Kenya]]. The partnership relied on [[Africa HEART]], a Kenyan-based NGO recently visited by Vice President Biden’s wife Dr. Jill Biden, to identify three community groups in each district, the fifty trainees in each community, and training venues. Africa Heart covered expenses and handling logistics related to transport for the solar cooking equipment, distribution venues, and follow-up on usage and other needs. [[Solar Cookers International East Africa Office]] (SCI-EA) provided the trainers and supplies, written reports, and conducted the training. [[Lift Up Africa]] provided a grant to cover direct expenses related to equipment purchase and SCI-EA’s travel, partnership connections, and worked with Africa Heart on follow-up and project evaluation. This project was a success and 150 families, approximately 1,200 people, have benefitted from their new training and solar cooking equipment. This project demonstrates the value of independent organizations working together, each providing their area of expertise, to achieve substantial results. Hopefully, this will be a continuing pattern for projects initiated by members of the [[Solar Cookers World Network]].
 
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*{{NewSep22}}'''August 2022: fireless cookers:''' Samuel Odhiambo from [[AfriShiners]] ran a fireless cooker workshop in Nairobi recently.
[[File:Global_Roots_Kenya_2010_1.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Global Roots]] in Kenya 2010]]
 
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[[File:Kakuma workshop 2, 5-30-22.png|thumb|300px|The [[Solar Education Project]] reports that Grace Chepkemei shared her skill and knowledge about solar cooking and [[Heat-retention cooking|heat-retention]] basket cooking, ''Photo credit: [[Solar Education Project]]'']]
[[File:Global_Roots_Keya_2010_2.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Global Roots]] in Kenya 2010]]
 
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[[File:Kakuma workshop, 5-30-22 baskets.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Heat-retention cooking]] baskets were constructed at the workshop.''Photo credit: [[Solar Education Project]]'']]
*'''September 2010:''' The necessary fund having been raised by project consultant [[Sharon Cousins]] and transferred to Kenya, [[Camily Wedende]] and the student team of the pilot project for [[Eldoret Student Projects]] are busily constructing the new model of solar panel cooker that is the result of the team's research and experiments. Each student will be taking a Panel Stove Cooker home to the camps where they live, where the cookers will be used to improve the lives of their families, and where the students will continue to keep records of their progress. Mr. Wedende promises more photos soon, and reports that, "It's a wonderful project!"
 
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*{{NewJun22}}'''May 2022: Solar and heat retention cooking workshop''' - The [[Solar Education Project]] reports that Grace Chepkemei shared her skill and knowledge about solar cooking and [[Heat-retention cooking|heat-retention]] basket cooking at a workshop at the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]]. These skills demonstrate how the [[Integrated Cooking Method]] will benefit the trainees and community.
*'''August 2010:''' A year in review included a number of solar cooking and water purification activities within [[Kenya]], done by [[Global Roots]] in partnership with [[Solar Cookers International]]. Training occurred in five communities with 85 individuals. [http://www.globalroots.org/kenya-2010-report#asolar See more details..]
 
[[File:Geting_ready_to_count_jane_nyamboks_savings_of_2&half_months_kshs.2060.00.jpg|thumb|200px|Jane getting ready to count her savings]]
 
*'''July 2010:''' Awareness is rising amongst the residents of Machakos District, in the Eastern Province of [[Kenya]]. that one can cook using direct solar energy. In July, during the annual agricultural fair, the Mayor of Machakos witnessed the sun cooking and tasted the food, he exclaimed; “Wonders will never cease - you mean to tell us that all these foods were cooked out here in the sun without any fire or smoke!?” “Definitely Sir.” replied Stella, the [[Solar Cookers International]] project Officer of the province. The guest of Honor was the Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Mututho, who on seeing the cooked food said “This would be very brilliant for the IDPs in Naivasha who are causing havoc on the environment.”
 
*'''July 2010:''' Solar Cookers International (SCI) is working in collaboration with [[Practical Action]] in the Kadibo region of Kenya considered to have a total service area population of 49,000. The project description as concerns SCI in agreement with US-EPA is to increase market access to clean cooking technologies (solar cookers, Upesi Stove, fireless cookers) for health and wealth in rural, Kadibo Division of Nyanza province, Kenya. One of the participants, Jane, saved all the money she would have spent on fuel for 3 months. She saved her money faithfully, in her words she "wanted to prove it to myself that using the interventions is for “health and wealth” as it said in the fliers." The interventions are the solar cooking technologies. Jane saved Kshs. 2,060! This is the equivelant to $25.42 US dollars. Jane publiclly counted her saving to show everyone just how using clean cooking technologies gave her wealth! "Everyone clapped; others had their hands in their mouths with faces of utter marvel!!! What could I do with the money – many things but one returning it into the tin! I thought of paying back a loan, but no, of shopping with it but no, of sending some to my mother but no….. for the first time had money that I could make a decision on. Wow!"
 
[[File:Kenya_Solar_Concentrator.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Peter Mwathi]] with the [[Kenya Solar Concentrator]]]]
 
*'''June 2010:''' [[Peter Mwathi]] is shown demonstrating his creation, the [[Kenya Solar Concentrator]]. Peter is an agricultural economist as well as solar inventor. He sees a market for this design with local farmers. It will help facilitate the sterilization of soil before the planting of seedlings. Currently, wood fires are set on top of the soil, creating air pollution and depleting the limited timber resouce.
 
   
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[[File:Solar tunnel dryer, Kenya, Müller, 1-4-22.png|thumb|300px|Solar tunnel dryer designed by [[Bernhard Müller]] for his partners in [[Kenya]] and [[Uganda]] ''Photo credit: [[Bernhard Müller]]'']]
[[File:Food_tasting_in_Kenya.jpg|thumb|325px|Children in line to taste food. [[Solar Cookers International]]]]
 
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*{{NewJan22}}'''January 2022: Solar tunnel dryer design for Kenya and Uganda:''' - [[Bernhard Müller]] offered his design skills in helping to create a new [[:Category:Solar food drying#Solar_tunnel_dryers|solar tunnel dryer]] for his partners in [[Kenya]] and [[Uganda]]. A 10W solar panel powers a fan providing air flow and enables the people who work with the dryer to charge their phones simultaneously.
[[File:CAMILY_food_tasting_photo.jpg|thumb|325px|Everybody enjoys food cooked by the sunshine. [[Solar Cookers International]]]]
 
   
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[[File:Penina Nzioka solar cooking demo., Kwale co. Kenya, 9-6-21.jpg|thumb|300px|Solar cooking demonstration in Mwandogo by Penina Nzioka]]
[[File:HARMONY_parabolic_cooker.jpg|right|300px]]
 
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*{{NewSep21}}'''September 2021: Solar cooking demonstration in Mwandogo''' - Penina Nzioka conducted a workshop to demonstrate the potential of [[solar box cooker]]s in her hometown, located nearby to Mombasa.
   
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*{{NewJul21}}'''June 2021: Taxes help and hinder solar cooker sales in Kenya''' - Previously, there has been a value-added tax on the purchase of raw materials used for manufacturing solar cookers within the country. Amounting to roughly 16% in additional cost, manufacturers said the savings will be passed on to the consumer. However the government has also removed the tax exemption for clean cooking appliances, as well as other less polluting technologies. This will discourage wider adoption and slow the improvement of [[Household air pollution|air quality]]. Still widely used, [[charcoal]], retains its tax-exempt status. [https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2021-06-20-e-paper-kenyans-to-pay-less-for-solar-more-to-buy-jikos/ Read more...]
*'''May 2010''' [[Camily Wedende]], of [[Sun Cookers International]], and [[Sharon Cousins]], of [[Solar Cookers International]], began [[Eldoret_Student_Projects|a small pilot project involving middle/secondary age students at a school in Eldoret, Kenya]]. When approached by Camily for advice on solar cooking projects with school children, Sharon encouraged a simple scientific approach, so that students can learn to experiment and observe critically and innovate as well as learning the skill of solar cooking. With Camily to help and advise them, students helped with construction, experimentation, and comparison observations that involved three types of solar cookers: a [[CooKit]], a bowl/basin type cooker with a small vertical reflector, and a variation that Camily and the students came up with for Sharon's invention the [[EZ-3 Solar Cooker]]. Now, having experimented and compared, 20 enthusiastic students have chosen the model they would like to construct to take home—the variation on the EZ-3— if a small fund can be arranged for materials. In recognition of the work the students have done in helping with model development and comparison tests, Sharon is trying to raise the needed resources. Sharon says, "We are under-utilizing the power of young people in spreading the good news about solar cooking and making it more accessible. These twenty special young people are showing the whole world that young people can make a big difference. I am proud of them all and grateful to Camily Wedende for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this special solar cooking science project."
 
   
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[[File:Millicent Anyango store, Kenya, 5-27-21.png|thumb|300px|Millicent Anyango's display of stoves and fireless cookers in Migori County, Kenya]]
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*{{NewMay21}}'''May 2021:''' [[Bernhard Müller]] reports in the AfriShiners Newsletter that Millicent Anyango maintains a supply of [[Baba Moto Stove|Baba Moto improved combustion stoves]] and [[Heat-retention cooking|fireless cookers]] from her location in Migori County, [[Kenya]]. She also organizes clean-cooking and fireless cooking workshops throughout western Kenya. Penina Nzioka, another AfriShiner member from Mwandogo nearby to Mombasa, trains the women in her village in the use of fireless cookers, and how to process coconut oil in a [[solar box cooker]].
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[[File:SCI Order of Excellence, Republic of Kenya, 3-21.png|right|450px]]
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*{{NewMar21}}'''March 2021:''' The [[Solar Cookers International]] Order of Excellence annual award for 2020 has been given to the [[Kenya|Republic of Kenya]] for including solar cooking in its Voluntary National Review (VNR) to track progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The award recognizes the most outstanding people and organizations whose sustained efforts have contributed most to empowering people to cook food and pasteurize water with solar energy. 
   
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[[File:John Amayo workshop, Kisumu, Kenya, 1-25-21 copy.png|thumb|300px|[[John Amayo]] conducted a workshop on the [[Integrated Cooking Method]] in Kisumu, [[Kenya]]. ''Photo credit: John Amayo'']]
*'''April 2010:''' [[Seat Partnership Foundation]] support of the HARMONY Center in Kenya - in Malava village, near the Kakamega forest our associates coodinated with the local governmental organization to build the HARMONY awareness center http://hadeg.org/. The project is to contribute to solving the energy crisis in western Kenya due to population growth and inefficient use of natural resources. Along with promoting the planting of trees is necessary to teach the villagers to reduce the consumption of wood for cooking, because cooking is still commonplace on fire with three stones. We therefore support the production and use of clay stoves and solar cookers. It currently offers local people the center HARMONY solar cookers, clay ovens with low consumption of firewood as well as advice on how to fertilizing the soil and tree planting
 
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*{{NewJan21}}'''January 2021:''' [[John Amayo]] conducted a workshop on the [[Integrated Cooking Method]] in Kisumu, [[Kenya]]. Participants learned about using solar cookers, [[:Category:Heat-retention cooking|heat retention cooking baskets]], and [[:Category:Improved combustion stoves|improved-combustion stoves]] to best effect in both sunny and cloudy conditions.
   
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*{{NewJun21}}'''December 2020:''' [[Solar Household Energy]] has adopted the [http://www.she-inc.org/?p=3214 100 Families Project] that provides groceries, cooking devices, and other support for 100 families locked down in the Kariobangi slum in Nairobi Kenya.
*'''March 2009:''' [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrmar09.htm#Sunny_Solutions Sunny Solutions for Real] - ''Solar Cooker Review''
 
   
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*{{NewDec20}}'''December 2020:''' [[Samuel Odiambo]] of the Asulma Centre, in conjunction with Didacus Pius Odhiambo of [[Farmers with a Vision]], trained Grace Mubi and Sarah Ndunyo, of Shambani Millers Self Help Group, and a group of villagers from Kitui, [[Kenya]], about the techniques of [[Integrated Solar Cooking]].
[[File:Nairobi_cooking_demonstration_3-09.jpg|300px|thumb|[[Solar Cookers International]] demonstration in Nairobi]]
 
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::<gallery widths="260" spacing="small"hideaddbutton="true">
*'''March 2009:''' As [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI) expands its reach in eastern Africa and beyond, it must grow and strengthen its collaborations with community-based and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as governmental entities. During a trip to eastern Africa in January [[Karyn Ellis]] was fortunate to meet with a number of like-minded organizations, nurturing valuable relationships in SCI’s efforts to expand its influence in the Lake Victoria region. She also met extensively with SCI’s Nairobi staff, led by [[Margaret Owino]], about goals for the year and plans for project expansion out of SCI’s new Kenya offices in Kisumu, Kakamega and Machakos. While in Nairobi I attended two inspiring solar cooking demonstrations: the first was in the Kangemi slum outside Nairobi, where children from the Hamomi Children’s Centre were served a solar lunch — their first lunch in many months; the second was for a women’s group in the new SCI community of Machakos, where young mothers learned to use the sun to cook food and save money normally spent on cooking fuel.
 
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Villagers learn about solar panel cookers.png|Villagers learn about [[solar panel cookers]]
[[File:Dusty_Breeding1.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Dusty Breeding]], with a high-capacity Villager [[Sun Oven]]®]]
 
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Heat retention cooking is explained to interested villagers.png|[[Heat retention cooking]] is explained to workshop participants
*'''March 2009:''' Indiana native [[Dusty Breeding]] first visited [[Africa]] in 2006, working with orphans and other malnourished children. He was so moved by the heartbreaking conditions he experienced that he decided to put his culinary arts background to use to help the children learn to bake bread for their own nourishment and to help lift themselves out of poverty. The nonprofit organization Breeding founded, [[LifeBread, Inc.]], is dedicated to empowering the people of impoverished nations through nutritional education and food preparation training as a means to curb the severity of world hunger. Breeding is enthusiastic about the use of solar ovens in his programs, and hopes to eventually equip an orphanage with a large commercial model capable of baking 400 loaves of bread daily. During one trip to [[Uganda]], Breeding planned to use a solar oven made out of a 50-gallon drum to help students bake rolls for 200 campers.
 
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Several types of solar cookers are demonstrated..png|Several types of solar cookers are demonstrated
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</gallery>
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::''Gallery photo credit: [[Farmers with a Vision]]''
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*{{NewNov20}}'''November 2020: SCI shares successes at the ReEnergy Africa E-Summit''' - SCI's Executive Director [[Caitlyn Hughes]] discusses the impact of solar cooking around the world and shared success stories from [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]], [[Kenya]]. [https://www.solarcookers.org/about/blog/sci-speaks-reenergy-africa-e-summit?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=a88f047d-8d6f-4327-b41b-dfee019be594 Watch video]
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*{{NewNov20}}'''November 2020:''' A new local partner agreement has been signed between [[Engineers Without Borders - Sweden]] and the [[Asulma Centre Self Help Group]] to diffuse solar cooking to more areas of Kenya.
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*{{NewOct20}}'''October 2020:''' [https://citizentv.co.ke/business/ksh-500m-released-for-14-counties-in-off-grid-solar-project-348100/ Ksh.500M released for 14 counties in off-grid solar project] - ''Citizen Digital''
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*{{NewOct20}}'''October 2020:''' [https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/news/counties/counties-get-sh500m-for-solar-clean-cooking-kits-2484310 Counties get Sh500m for solar, clean cooking kits] - ''Business Daily''
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*{{NewMay20}}'''May 2020:''' '''Kenya inventor wins American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) award for solar cooker boiler''' - "Ecobora invented a “solar cooking boiler”, which stores solar energy in a repurposed oil tank with waste motor oil as carbon sink tank, eliminating need for firewood and allowing use to cook round the clock. Rural marginalized schools in Kenya are using money saved from not buying wood to equip science and computer labs." [https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/nigerian-inventor-wins-asme-innovation-award.html More information]
   
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*{{NewMar20}}'''March 2020: Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo''' - The three-day forum and exposition opened in Nairobi on February 18th with many contributing experts from various parts of the world. The President of [[Kenya]], Uhuru Kenyatta, was also present on the first day of the Expo to assure his government's enthusiastic support for the development of off-grid solar products for use in Kenya. The science of solar cooking and e-cooking were also featured topics of discussion at the forum. [https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/881927-global-off-grid-solar-forum-expo-3rd-day-on-e-cooking-growing-solar-biz-paygo-companies-more More information...]
[[Image:AVIF_Volunteers_in_Kenya_-_February_2009.jpg|right|200px]]
 
*'''February 2009:''' The photo on the right shows a community group in the Siaya District of western Kenya that just had a demo by the [[Solar Cookers International East Africa Office]]. The demo was given in a local market place with local authority figures present and these wonderful "guardians" of nearly 350 orphans. [http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=54532633534&h=JZuen&u=FcTnx More information...]
 
   
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[[File:SCI_Kakuma_02-20.jpg|thumb|300px|Kakuma residents with on of the [[Heliac]] solar cookers provided by [[Solar Cookers International]]]]
[[Image:Amani_Solutions_Kenya_November_2008.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Henry Ogola Oloo]] (left) explains solar cooking to a cultural group in Kiberia, Kenya]]
 
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*{{NewFeb20}}'''February 2020:''' In 2019, [[Solar Cookers International]] provided 300 people, women and their families, with solar cookers and the training to use them in the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]]. [https://www.solarcookers.org/application/files/8315/6089/1215/Newsletter-Summer_2019_final.pdf More information...]
*'''November 2008:''' The [[Amani Solution Self Help Group]] began promoting solar cookers in mid-2006 through a series of seminars and demonstrations they conducted in and around Nairobi, including Kiberia and Waithaka. The group had been producing two to three wooden solar [[box cookers]] per month, but it has struggled to keep up with demand. Coordinator [[Henry Ogola Oloo]] says the group was inspired and moved by four orphans whose parents had died in a car accident. The eldest child, 14-year-old Apiyo, is responsible for cooking for her younger brothers and sisters. The Amani Solution Self Help Group donated a solar cooker to the family, taught them how to use it, and have been monitoring its use and the family’s progress. “It is wonderful and very much different,” says Oloo. “The children say ‘It is just as when our mother was alive. We eat our lunch early and go back to school. Even our supper we eat as early as 7 p.m.’” Prior to owning a solar cooker, the children had to gather [[firewood]] before they could begin cooking, delaying their evening meal until about 10 p.m.
 
   
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*{{NewFeb20}}'''November 2019: Community bakery''' - [[GoSol.org]] reports that one of their [[:Category:Solar array cooker designs|solar array cookers]], first put into use in 2017 in the Kisumu area, in [[Kenya]] is still in use. It was later transferred to Friends of Ndere, a very active baking community, which already had a GoSol concentrator. In spite of this being one an early pilot unit, they are still using this unit to bake bread. Below is a video in Swahili showing the concentrator in action. [https://gosol.org/best-validation-ever-in-kenya More information...]
*'''June 2008:''' [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI) has begun the [[Safe Water Project]] in Kenya led by SCI founder and board president Dr. [[Bob Metcalf]], a professor of Biological Sciences at California State University, Sacramento. Bob’s development of a [[Portable Microbiology Laboratory]] (PML) will allow rural health workers and community members to test water quality in the field by assessing levels of Escherichia coli contamination. The revolutionary PML can be used anywhere by practically anyone, and it will liberate government ministries in charge of water analysis who have had difficulties gauging water quality in rural areas due to travel limitations and technical expenses. Anticipated outcomes from the project include significant reductions in the incidence of waterborne diseases in over 20 communities, and broader community awareness of simple and effective water testing and [[water pasteurization]] techniques. A training was begun in June 2008 with officials and representatives from the Kenya Water Resources Management Authority and the Kenya Ministry of Health. This is the first time that these two government ministries have collaborated on a project like this, and we are thrilled to have their participation and support. Major funding for this program has come from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, for which we are very grateful! See [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scraug08.htm#Kenya_safe_water August 2008 article in Solar Cooker Review]. A [http://www.solarcookers.org/news/2008_06_01_archive.html photo blog of this project] is also available.
 
   
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::[[File:SOL5 Technology - Solar Energy for SMEs|thumb|none|400 px|Solar Energy for SMEs (English)]]
[[Image:Earth_Vision.jpg|right|300px]]
 
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::[[File:Friends of Ndere-0|thumb|none|400 px|A video in Swahili showing the concentrator in action]]
*'''March 2008:''' [[Catherine Scott]]’s documentary film SUNCOOKERS, about Solar Cookers International’s efforts to spread solar cooking and solar water pasteurization in Kenya, won the alternative energy category at the 2008 EarthVision International Environmental Film Festival in Santa Cruz, California. Organizers state that the festival “seeks to raise consciousness about environmental issues, educate people and mobilize support. The films … instill concern for the issues they raise, and they seed enthusiasm for change in the audience. The festival encourages filmmakers to continue with their hard work, while providing a venue in which they can witness their accomplishments being celebrated.” More than 5,000 people have attended the events and screenings. Winning films are also shown throughout the year on community television, available to tens of thousands of households.
 
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[[File:Farmers_with_a_Vision_-_February_2019.jpg|thumb|200px|Farmers with a Vision cooking in front of store]]
[[Image:Culinary_Institute_of_Africa_Sudan_2008.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Students at the Culinary Institute of Africa can add another skill to their resume: solar cook]]
 
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*{{NewJan20}}'''April 2019:''' [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-solar-cooking-idUSKBN17C2KG Kenya learns to cook with solar power - even when the sun doesn't shine] - ''(Reuters)'' In Busia County, in western Kenya, as many as 1,500 households have turned to solar cooking, mostly over the last four years, according to county Ministry of Energy figures. Other families have adopted more efficient charcoal or firewood stoves. The changes in large part have been driven by [[Farmers with a Vision]] (FWA), a local community organization based in Bumala Township.
*'''March 2008:''' [[Louise Meyer]] reports on a group of internally displaced persons that are students at the [[Culinary Institute of Africa]]. As part of their curriculum they are learning how to solar cook. Meyer sent photographs of several students taking “Masters of Solar Cooking” classes at the Institute’s school in Juba, Sudan. Based in Lokichoggio, Kenya, the non-profit Culinary Institute of Africa is a community service division of the AFEX Group, which provides a number of management and catering services to camps throughout Kenya, [[Sudan]], and elsewhere. The Institute began in 2004 when [[Terry Light]], chief operating officer of [[AFEX]], asked [[Nancy Crooks]] to train local Turkana with skills that could gain them employment at various camps and other institutions in the region. With technical assistance from [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI), Crooks was able to incorporate solar cooker use and construction into the curriculum. The Institute offers an accredited, professional culinary education leading to a diploma in food production. SCI also provided training services and helped Crooks secure funding from the [[Lift Up Africa]] organization for a solar cooker project to teach Turkana women how to make and use solar cookers, [[Heat-retention cooking|heat-retention devices]], and [[Water Pasteurization Indicator]]s (WAPIs), as well as start a small solar cooker shop.
 
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*{{NewOct19}}'''June 2019:''' [https://www.solarcookers.org/about/blog/alans-journal-kakuma Dr. Alan Bigelow's Journal on Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya] - ''[[Solar Cookers International]]''
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[[File:SCI_PEP_University_of_Nairobi_Kenya_2019.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[Performance Evaluation Process]] in action]]
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*{{NewJun19}}'''June 2019: Solar Cookers International opens new [[Performance Evaluation Process|PEP]] testing center at the University of Nairobi, [[Kenya]]''' - SCI’s PEP test allows manufacturers and consumers to know the cooking power of solar cookers without brand bias and to develop a baseline for comparison. PEP testing demonstrates to solar cooker users and investors the power, in watts, they can expect from a specific model of solar cooker. SCI PEP results are trustworthy because the PEP test is based on an internationally accepted protocol for testing and reporting solar cooker performance. SCI also has centers in Lalitpur, [[Nepal]]; New York, [[USA]]; and California, USA. Having global locations for SCI PEP testing centers is important to advancing the adoption of solar cooking worldwide and affirms SCI’s role as the leader within the solar cooking sector. Local testing of solar cookers supports the regional economy, job growth and builds capacity in the sector. <ref>[http://www.globalsolarcouncil.org/solar_cookers_international_sci_recently_opened_a_new_solar_cooker_performance_evaluation_process_pep_testing_center_at_the_university_of_nairobi_kenya Global Solar Council newsletter - June 2019]</ref>
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[[File:Kakuma_2019.jpg|thumb|300px|Refugee women with a [[Heliac Solar Cooker]]]]
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*{{NewJun19}}'''June 2019:''' [[Solar Cookers International]] has recently brought life-saving solar cooking to more than 300 people in the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]]. Before you stepped in, women were often forced to sell their precious food rations for cooking fuel, putting their children at risk of malnutrition. If they dared to journey outside of the camp to collect [[firewood]], they risked violence.
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[[File:Fireless_cooker_workshop_Faustine_O.,_Kenya,_3-5-18.png|thumb|300px|[[Heat-retention cooking|Fireless cooker]] workshop held at the Armstrong Women Empowerment Centre in Rabuor under the direction of [[Faustine Odaba]]. ''Photo credit: [[John Amayo]]'']]
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*{{NewMar18}}'''March 2018:''' The [[Heat-retention cooking|fireless cooker]] workshops held at the Armstrong Women Empowerment Centre in Rabuor are made possible with donations from [[Lernen - Helfen - Leben e.V.]] in [[Germany]]. The workshop is led by [[Faustine Odaba]] of [[Natural Resources and Waste Management Alliance]] (NAREWAMA) based in Nairobi.
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*{{NewFeb18}}'''February 2018:''' New [[Scheffler Community Kitchen|Scheffler cooker]] installed by [[Altener Solar]]: [https://www.facebook.com/868825929814590/videos/2134479336582570/ Facebook video]
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*{{NewJan18}}'''January 2018:''' The [[Tonembee Association]] reports that it distributed 150 solar cookers in Kithuia Village in April, 2017 and held three educational events in the area between February and June, 2017.
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[[File:Muller1_11-17.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|''Photo credit: [[Bernhard Müller]]]]
   
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{{OldNewsLink}}
[[Image:Davis_Sud_2008.jpg|right|250px]]
 
*'''March 2008:''' Princeton University’s informal motto ends “… in the Service of All Nations,” an ideal being pursued by two undergraduate engineering students spreading solar cooking skills in Kenya and beyond. In 2005, [[Ishani Sud]] and [[Julianne Davis]] traveled to Laikipia, Kenya to introduce solar box cookers designed by Sud and classmate Lauren Wang, and to build solar cookers with appropriate local materials. To facilitate technology transfer, Sud and Davis chose to work with primary school students and hold special events to spark interest with parents. Covering topics in science, conservation and renewable energy, Davis taught elementary students in the Mpala Research Centre school, while Sud taught middle school students at the Lekiji public school. Lessons for the older students included a series of experiments, such as comparing black metal and white metal temperatures when exposed to sun, that helped them understand how solar cookers work and select appropriate construction materials. The locally available materials chosen for these cookers were Cyprus wood, aluminum sheet metal, glass, and black cloth as a box liner to absorb sunlight. Time was set aside each week for students to work on constructing their own solar cooker. More recently, Sud has returned to Kenya to continue her work on the project, and has launched a similar project at the Aang Serian school in Monduli, [[Tanzania]].
 
   
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=={{HeadingClimateCulture}}==
*'''November 2007:''' Award-winning filmmaker Catherine Scott has completed an inspiring documentary titled SUNCOOKERS, now available on DVD. SUNCOOKERS follows [[Margaret Owino]] on a journey across western Kenya, visiting [[Solar Cookers International]]’s solar cooking projects in the [[Kakuma refugee camp]] and the community of [[Sunny Solutions|Nyakach]]. Numerous DVD extras make this a must-have resource for solar cooks, educators, and advocates. [http://www.solarcookers.org/catalog/ SUNCOOKERS can be purchased on-line].
 
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*{{WikipediaClimate|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Kenya}}
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*{{NewAug19}}{{EnergySituationEnergypedia}}
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*[[Africa#Eastern_Africa|Discussion of eastern Africa's suitability for solar cooking]]
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*[[Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables]]
   
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==Resources==
*'''November 2007:''' [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI) will undertake a two-year pilot project to increase water quality awareness and introduce the [[Portable Microbiology Laboratory]] and the [[Safe Water Package]] to communities in western Kenya. The effort will be led by SCI founder and board member Dr. [[Bob Metcalf]], professor of Biological Sciences at California State University, Sacramento. ([http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov07.htm#Kenya More information].)
 
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{{ContinentInfo|Africa}}
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{{FacebookGroups}}
   
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==={{HeadingProjectEvals}}===
*'''November 2007:''' [[Camily Wedende]], of Eldoret, Kenya, received a grant from [[Spirit in Action]] in support of his solar cooker shop. Wedende builds and sells durable plywood solar box cookers, and stocks various solar cooking supplies such as pots and instruction manuals in his shop. He also conducts solar cooking demonstrations and gives out samples.
 
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*{{NewJan17}}'''October 2008:''' [[Media:Sunny Solutions Nyakach evaluation - 2008.pdf|Sunny Solutions Project in Nyakach Constituency, Nyanza Province, Kenya - Evaluation Report to Solar Cookers International]] - An independent evaluation of the [[Sunny Solutions|Sunny Solutions Project]] in Nyakach Constituency, Nyanza Province, Kenya. The report examines the impact of solar cooking on the area, associated variables, the results of the project, and recommendations for how to improve future projects.
   
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*{{NewJan17}}'''September 2008:''' [[Media:Sunny Solutions Final Report 2008.pdf|Sunny Solutions Program, Nyakach, Kenya - Evaluation Report to Solar Cookers International]] - An independent economic analysis of the [[Sunny Solutions|Sunny Solutions Project]] focusing on how the business model for similar projects could be improved in the future.
*'''July 2007:''' [[Solar Health and Education Project]] (SHEP) reports holding workshops in both [[Zambia]] and Kenya for newly trained teachers preparing to go to remote villages on assignment. The workshops were five days long. The first day was used for basic education about solar cooking and solar water pasteurization, while the other four days were used to practice and implement solar cooking skills. The 70 participants all built their own solar cookers. Based on the success of these workshops two more have already been scheduled. SHEP has developed a relationship with [http://www.tetrapak.com/ Tetra Pak International] — manufacturer of aseptic drink containers — whereby SHEP uses Tetra Pak’s excess foil-lined paper for solar cooker construction. (The foil-lined paper is printed in wide rolls, sometimes resulting in excess material begin generated.) According to SHEP, Tetra Pak is willing to accept proposals from other nongovernmental organizations that may want to use the reflective material as long as the material will be used for workshop participants to construct solar cookers.
 
   
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*{{NewJan17}}'''March 2007:''' [[Media:Dissemination in Kenya Case Study Dennery 2007.pdf|Solar Cooker Dissemination in Kenya - Evaluation Report to Solar Cookers International]] - A summary of economical, environmental, and health-related issues in rurual Kenya that have the potential to be remedied with the use of solar cookers. Report includes conlcusions of the project and lessons learned.
[[Image:Sun_Fire_Cooking_January_2007.jpg|right|250px]]
 
*'''April 2007:''' Representatives of [[Sun Fire Cooking]] attended January’s World Social Forum in Nairobi, where they organized a group of activists to plan a three-part campaign of education, mobilization and networking for solar cooking. Sun Fire plans to open a solar cooking promotion center in Nairobi with support from [[Horn Relief]], a nonprofit organization in Somalia. Meanwhile, Sun Fire Cooking continues its work spreading solar cooking in Puntland, Somalia, and plans to expand to the Hargeisa area. The organization also has experience in Djibouti, having sold 25 solar cookers there. '''''Contact:''''' ''[[Jim Lindsay]]''
 
   
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*{{NewJan17}}'''April 2006:''' [[Media:Lasting Impacts of Solar Cooker Projects.pdf|Summary of Lasting Impacts of Solar Cooker Projects - Solar Household Energy, Inc.]] - A general summary of long-term effects of solar cooker use in refugee camps in [[Ethiopia]], Kenya, and Bolivia.
*'''February 2007:''' [http://solarcooking.org/cooking_baskets.htm HEDON Household Energy reports on use of "cooking baskets" (retained heat cookers)] in Kenya.
 
   
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*{{NewJan17}}'''December 2003:''' [[Media:Kakuma evaluation 2003-12.pdf|Evaluation of the Solar Cookers International Solar CooKit Project at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya]] - The final evaluation of the [[Solar Cookers International]] project at the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]] in Kenya. Report discusses the decreased dependence on wood as fuel, environmental effects, and socio-cultural impacts.
*'''January 2007:''' A [http://movies7.arcoiris.tv/movies/WSF_nairobi_2007/spazi_e_stand/solar_cookers_intl_big.ram video interview] with [[SCI]]'s [[Faustine Odaba]] at the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. Interviewer is Jason Nardi of Arcoiris TV.
 
   
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*{{NewJan17}}'''August 1998:''' [[Media:Summary of wood consumption study in Kakuma by Drs. B. Knudson and B. Lankford August 1998. in Kakuma.pdf|Summary of wood consumption study in Kakuma by Drs. B. Knudson and B. Lankford August 1998.]] - A paper discussing the methods and findings of a pilot study conducted in the [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]] to determine the effects of solar cooker use on fuelwood savings.
[[Image:ALTENER_kenya1.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The staff of the Mathare Community Outreach organization discover solar cooking at the [[AltEner Energy Technologies]] demonstration center in Nairobi]]
 
*'''November 2006:''' Based in [http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=-1.284434~36.822395&style=h&lvl=12&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=3693578 Nairobi], AltEner is a "business with a philosophy" that promotes renewable energy and delivers custom solar energy solutions. In addition to solar cooking, the company works in the fields of solar water heating, solar electricity, wind energy, and energy planning and management. AltEner has installed large scale, concentrator-type cooking systems, based on the [[Wolfgang Scheffler|Scheffler]] community kitchen concept, in several countries. The company can also design high temperature trough solar cooking systems. [[Charles Onyango-Oloo]], the principle force behind AltEner, wrote an interesting paper titled "[http://www.solarcooking.org/research/specialchallenges4solarcooking.pdf The Special Challenges of Solar Cooking]." In his paper, Onyango-Oloo urges solar cooking promoters to endorse a mix of technologies instead of only one type of cooker. "Because technology can be intimidating to the uninitiated, the technological simplicity or sophistication of the solar cooker should match the background of the prospective user as closely as possible to avoid ‘socio-technologic disconnect.’… Where promoters of particular technologies aim to justify their choices by playing down the role of other technologies in the appropriate technological matrix, the end result usually is an overall loss of faith in the entire process of solar cooking amongst the intended beneficiaries." Onyango-Oloo’s paper also urges that projects be designed in phases, so that lessons learned in early stages can be applied to later stages as the project grows. Contact: [[AltEner Energy Technologies]], P.O. Box 8876-00300, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 721-727830, e-mail: [mailto:alternerkenya@yahoo.com alternerkenya@yahoo.com], Web: [http://www.solarenergykenya.com www.solarenergykenya.com]
 
   
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===Reports===
*'''November 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov06.htm#Sunny_Solutions Sunny Solutions gears for independence]
 
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*{{NewApr23}}'''March 2023:''' [[Media:Eldoret National Show Report, 1-4 March 2023.pdf| Eldoret National Show Report, 1-4 March 2023,]] - ''Grace Chepkemei''
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*{{NewApr23}}'''March 2023:''' [[Media:Chalmers Masters Thesis on Kenya Solar Cooking.pdf|Chalmers Masters Thesis on Kenya Solar Cooking]] - ''Alaa Abdul Sater & Johanna Tolly''
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*{{NewNov20}}'''April 2020:''' [[Media:Kenia Brief April 2020 Mount Kenya Energy Project.pdf|Kenia Brief (German)]] - ''[[Mount Kenya Energy Project]]''
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*{{NewSep19}}'''July 2019:''' [[Media:The-Kenya-eCookbook-Beans-Cereals-edition-3-July-FULL-RECREATED-WEB-1-4mb.pdf|The Kenya eCookbook: Beans & Cereals Edition - How to Save Time and Money]]
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*{{NewMay17}}'''May 2017:''' [[Media:Solar Cooking—the solution to environmental impact and fuel scarcity in Kakuma Refugee Camp - Godfrey Mawira Kaburu 2017.pdf|Solar Cooking—the solution to environmental impact and fuel scarcity in Kakuma Refugee Camp]] - ''Godfrey Mawira Kaburu''
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*{{NewFeb17}}'''January 2017:''' [[Media:The Loodariak Kenya Village Solar Cooker Project - Collaborative Knowledge Transfer Golden.pdf|The Loodariak Kenya Village Solar Cooker Project - Collaborative Knowledge Transfer]] - ''Jean Golden and Peter Haastrup''
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*{{NewMar16}}'''October 2013:''' The Goal is Zero: A Strategy to Eliminate Water-Borne Disease in Lower Nyakach, Kenya ([[Media:A Strategy to Eliminate Water-borne Disease in Lower Nyakach Kenya - Metcalf and Chienjo .pdf|Report]] and [[Media:Friends of the Old, Kenya 2014.pdf|Slides]])
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*'''June 2010:''' [http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/pfil/1202/Solar_Cooking_at_the_Mara.pdf Solar Cooking Demonstration at the Mara in Narok; Kenya]
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*'''July 2008:''' [[Media:East Africa Report - Karyn Ellis - July 2008 .pdf|East Africa Report - ''Karyn Ellis'']]
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*'''May 2008:''' [[SCI’s Kenya Program: Sunny Solutions and Beyond]] - ''[[Karyn Ellis]]''
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*'''September 2006:''' [http://www.solarcooking.org/research/specialchallenges4solarcooking.pdf The Special Challenges of Solar Cooking]
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*'''Fall 2006:''' [http://web.princeton.edu/sites/pumpala/pumpala/teaching%20outreach/ishani/Ishani.htm Mpala, Kenya: A Summer of Teaching, Research, and Learning] - ''[[Ishani Sud]]''
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*'''June 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/lasting-impacts.htm Lasting Impacts of Solar Cooking in Kenya] ''- Melanie Szulczewski, Ph. D.''
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*[http://solarcooking.org/kakuma-m.htm A page with chronological reports from the Solar Cookers International solar cooking project in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya].
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*'''May 2003:''' [http://solarcooking.org/research/KeyanSolarOvenMarket.pdf A Market-Based Strategy for Introducing Passive Solar Ovens in Kenya]
   
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===Articles in the media===
*'''June 2006:''' [[Solar Household Energy, Inc.]]'s Director of Programs for Latin America and East Africa, [[Camille McCarthy]], traveled to [[Kenya]] and Tanzania to meet with governmental agencies, NGOs, and private sector representatives to explore the feasibility of cooperative solar cooking ventures. Many groups expressed interest in [[SHE]] pilot solar cooking projects. [[SHE]] expects to conduct initial solar cooking training, marketing and sales projects in [[Kenya]] and Tanzania in early 2007.
 
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*{{NewSep23}}'''September 2023:''' [https://solacebase.com/kano-acresal-project-coordinator-graced-the-africa/ 2023 Summit: Kano ACReSAL Project Coordinator atins Other Experts at Africa Climate Summit In Nairobi in building solar cooking resilience] - ''Solace Base''
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*{{NewFeb23}}'''February 2023:''' [https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/central/2022-10-23-mirror-solar-cooker-invention-to-reduce-deforestation/ Mirror solar cooker invention to reduce deforestation] - ''STAR''
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*{{NewFeb23}}'''February 2023:''' [https://www.africanews.com/2023/02/04/kenyan-solar-stove-may-cut-cancer-risks-caused-by-burning-wood/ Kenyan solar-stove may cut cancer risks caused by burning wood] -''Africa News''
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*{{NewMar21}}'''March 2021:'''[https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2021-03-01-kenya-recognised-globally-for-promotion-of-clean-cooking/ Kenya recognised globally for promotion of clean cooking] - ''The Star''
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*{{NewMay21}}'''November 2020:''' [https://www.kenyacic.org/2020/11/innovative-solar-cooker-transforming-households/ Innovative Solar Cooker, Transforming Households] - ''Kenya Climate Innovation Center''
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*{{NewOct20}}'''October 2020:''' [https://citizentv.co.ke/business/ksh-500m-released-for-14-counties-in-off-grid-solar-project-348100/ Ksh.500M released for 14 counties in off-grid solar project] - ''Citizen Digital''
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*{{NewOct20}}'''October 2020:''' [https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/news/counties/counties-get-sh500m-for-solar-clean-cooking-kits-2484310 Counties get Sh500m for solar, clean cooking kits] - ''Business Daily''
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*{{NewJun20}}'''June 2020:''' [https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001374607/experts-oppose-tax-proposal-on-solar-and-cookstoves Experts oppose tax proposal on solar and cookstoves product] - ''Standard''
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*{{NewNov19}}'''November 2019:''' [https://www.energia.org/kenyan-ministry-of-energy-launches-first-national-gender-policy-in-the-energy-sector-ever/ Kenyan Ministry of Energy launches first national Gender Policy in the energy sector ever] - ''Energia''
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*{{NewNov19}}'''November 2019:''' [https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Long-way-to-Kenya-dream-of-clean-energy/2560-5352078-ym17khz/index.html Long way to Kenya’s dream of clean energy] - ''The East African''
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*{{NewMar18}}'''March 2018:''' [https://www.nation.co.ke/oped/letters/To-restore-depleted-forest-cover/440806-4335300-gjx5q9z/index.html To restore depleted forest cover, Kenya must take concrete steps] - ''Daily Nation''
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*{{NewApr17}}'''April 2017:''' [http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-solar-cooking-idUSKBN17C2KG Kenya learns to cook with solar power – even when the sun doesn’t shine] - ''Reuters''
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*{{NewNov16}}'''October 2016:''' [https://ecozoomstove.com/blogs/ecozoom/ecozoom-meets-mama-solar EcoZoom meets Mama Solar!] - ''[[Ecozoom UK]]''
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*{{NewMay16}}'''May 2016:''' [http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/05/kenyas-young-inventors-shake-up-old-technology Kenya’s Young Inventors Shake Up Old Technology] - ''Inter Press Service''
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*{{NewFeb16}}'''February 2016:''' [http://www.thewhig.com/2016/02/18/solar-ovens-help-fuel-future Solar ovens help fuel future] - ''The Whig''
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*{{NewDec15}}'''December 2015:''' [http://loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=15-P13-00049&segmentID=6 India's Solar Initiative and the Challenge of Climate-Safe Development] (included in interview is President Kenyatta) - ''Living on Earth''
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* '''October 2009:''' [http://allafrica.com/stories/200910141045.html Kenya: Entrepreneurs Cashing in on Green Campaign] - ''Business Daily (Nairobi)''
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*'''April 2009:''' [http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/09/solar.oven.global.warming/ Inventor turns cardboard boxes into eco-friendly oven] - ''CNN'' ([[Solar Cookers International]] alerted CNN that this invention is not new. CNN then updated the story to mention the work of SCI and others.)
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*'''March 2009:''' [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/14fa667c-13e3-11de-9e32-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 The five fighters of climate change] - ''Financial Times''
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*'''April 2008:''' [http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3560/context/archive Kenyans Tap Sun to Make Dirty Water Sparkle] - ''Women's eNews''
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*'''November 2007:''' [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov07.htm#Kenya Kenya safe water project to include innovative testing, pasteurizing tools] - ''Solar Cooker Review''
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*'''November 2007:''' [http://allafrica.com/stories/200710310998.html Kenya: Solar power on the rise] - ''East African Standard''
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*'''May 2007:''' [http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=318719 Sacramento’s Solar Cookers International uses the sun to improve quality of life, one village at a time] - ''Sacramento News Review''
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*'''February 2007:''' [http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Rural_Kenyan_Women_On_Vanguard_Of_African_Solar_Revolution.html Rural Kenyan women on vanguard of African solar revolution] - ''Agence France Presse''
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*'''December 2006:''' [http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S16/64/54Q97/index.xml?section=topstories,featured Student sows seeds of community-helping technology in Africa] - ''News@Princeton''
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*'''November 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9 Kenyan women look to the sun for cooking] - ''Mail and Guardian''
  +
*'''March 2006:''' [http://web.archive.org/web/20070315151629/http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20060322/NEWS/60321005 Truckee Rotary clubs heat things up in Kenya] - ''Sierra Sun''
   
  +
===Audio and video===
*'''November 2004:''' [http://www.solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov04.htm#Rae_Girls_Secondary_School Solar cooking takes off in Rae Girls Secondary School]
 
  +
*{{NewFeb20}}'''February 2020:'''
   
  +
::[[File:Solar Cooking in Kenya|thumb|none|400 px]]
*'''November 2004:''' [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov04.htm#Final_Kakuma_evaluation Final Kakuma evaluation: solar cookers filled a critical gap]
 
  +
*{{NewDec19}}'''May 2019:''' [http://www.sunpod.de/2019/05/252-sunpod-interview-monika-gruhn-solarkocher-fur-kenia/ Sunpod-Interview: Monika Grühn – Solarkocher für Kenia]
   
  +
*{{NewMay17}}'''May 2017:'''
==The History of Solar Cooking in Kenya==
 
[[Image:Food_versus_charcoal.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Each group of items costs 40 Kenya Shillings (about US$0.50) as does the pile of charcoal shown. By using a [[CooKit]] or other solar cooker, people can buy food instead of fuel.]]Kenya is the center of solar cooking activity in East Africa. A number of organizations are endeavoring to promote the technology in this country, which has been the commercial hub of the area for several decades. Its capital, Nairobi, is also well served by air, making access to the nation and region readily available, using Nairobi as entry point.
 
   
  +
::[[File:Kakuma refugee camp setting the pace in use of renewable energy-0|none|400 px]]
The promotion of solar energy is decades old in Kenya. As far back as 1977, [[GTZ]]
 
(the Germany's official technical aid agency) initiated and later abandoned a project in Nairobi. The reason given had to do with the fact that products used were made in [[Germany]] and not available in East Africa. Two different Catholic missions in rural Kenya seem to have tried solar cooking, but no information is available on outcomes. As early as 1991, some ovens were exported to [[Tanzania]] (through [[Trans World Radio]], perhaps), indicating that the product presented a business opportunity. In 1992, an Earthwatch grant permitted an academic, Dr. [[Daniel Kammen]], to initiate a multi-year study of renewable energy technologies, including solar cookers, using volunteers in short-term [[Earthwatch]] projects.
 
   
  +
*{{NewMar17}}'''January 2017:'''
Other early efforts included the work of Trans World Radio to promote solar use,
 
promotion within the Girl Guide organization, a large project under the auspices of the [[Institute for Cultural Affairs]], and the activities of a remarkable Peace Corp Volunteer. In the mid-1990s, with assistance of [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI) a national coordinating body for the purpose of sharing information and strengthening progress by collective action around the topic of solar cooking was formed in Nairobi.
 
   
  +
::[[File:Nicholas Kithembe - Tonembee Association|none|400px]]
Among those early efforts was the activity of Trans World Radio (TWR). TWR work began in the early 1990s. A conference proceedings on Renewable Energy Policies in East Africa, held in 1993, includes a paper by TWR coordinator [[Clive
 
Wafukho]] on their work in solar cooking. This organization promoted solar cooking on its radio programs, made and sold box cookers in the Nairobi environs, and worked also in a distant refugee camp. They pioneered solar cooking in [http://solarcooking.org/kakuma-m.htm Kakuma Refugee Camp], where
 
SCI later established another project. TRW estimates that in the period between 1992
 
and 2001, they distributed a total of 2,350 cookers in the camp and other localities in Kenya. Logistics and staff support were always problems in the remote areas. In 2000, an attempt to solve that problem was the training of refugees as carpenters to build the cookers in the camp itself. TRW reports the production of 400 cookers in that manner.
 
   
  +
*{{NewFeb17}}'''January 2017:'''
The cookers are large and well suited to the needs of the [[Sudan]]ese population that lives in extended family compounds, requiring cooking for 10-20 people daily. Trans-World Radio has demonstrated remarkable staying power in this difficult to serve area, with a population that could not afford to buy the expensive box cookers. Therefore most were given away free, with funds raised for the most part outside of Africa. TWR estimate that two-thirds of the cookers are used regularly.
 
   
  +
::[[File:Dr. Jean Golden, Peter Haastrup - The Kenya Loodariak Village Solar Cooker Project|none|400px]]
In roughly the same time period, a U.S. [[Peace Corps]] Volunteer named [[Barbara Ross]] was assigned to an area in western Kenya. Her responsibilities were varied, but, outside of her assigned tasks, more or less on her own initiative, she began the promotion of solar cooking. Ms. Ross recruited and trained a number of women in the locality to which she was assigned, who then formed themselves into a Housewives' Club, and proceeded in turn to teach others. They made box cookers of cardboard, which worked very well in a propitious climate, and solar cooking was on its way in this part of Kenya.
 
   
  +
*'''2014:'''
The interest of [[Girl Guides]] in solar cooking also goes back to roughly the same
 
time period. An early training program had been initiated in Kenya by [[Barby Pulliam]], chief promoter of the [[World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.]] Little remains of that one-shot demonstration, but it did serve as a foundation for later work that developed more fully in the latter 1990s. An interesting offshoot of that program is a unique program, a Girl Guide troop in [[Kakuma refugee camp]], run by individuals originally inspired by the work of Ms. Pulliam. In few places can Girl Scout/Guide activities be more welcome!
 
   
  +
::[[File:Solvatten Kakuma, Kenya|thumb|none|400 px]]
The other major early actor on the Nairobi scene was the [[Institute for Cultural Affairs]], (ICA) which had a long term presence in the development community, focused on empowering local communities to define their own needs and plan their own
 
development strategies. Solar cooking was a kind of side interest for ICA, though
 
obviously related to its larger issues. To carry out the solar cooking mission, a Swiss volunteer, long interested and skilled in the technology and in training others, joined the Nairobi staff of ICA, for the specific purpose of promoting solar cooking. ICA created a solar box cooker construction course at a local technical school, which ultimately produced all the cookers used by ICA in the communities where they worked. ICA used a rather classical community development approach in their work. In community meetings, workers facilitated community members in defining their needs and existing barriers, which prevent meeting those needs. Fuel shortage was a major problem, and hence solar cooking promotion became an ongoing part of the program in many areas of Kenya. However, the solar activity more or less ceased after the very effective volunteer returned to her home.
 
   
  +
*'''December 2014:'''
The agencies described above formed the corps of the solar cooking consortium
 
formed in 1994, with some financial help from SCI. The purpose of the consortium
 
formed around solar cooking was to share information with one another, and to enlist
 
additional person power for promotional efforts. SCI provided financial and moral
 
support to the effort for some years. One conference was held in Nairobi, and one in outstate Kenya, in the hope of involving additional people in the effort. Ultimately, the logic of solar power dictated that purveyors and promoters of photovoltaic technologies would be included in the group. Over time, and after finally achieving NGO status in Kenya (not an easy task), the organization came to be dominated by the larger and considerably-more powerful community of business and industrial photovoltaic personnel in Kenya and thus of less value to solar cooking promoters.
 
   
  +
::[[File:Fireless Cookers complement Solar Cookers-0|thumb|none|400 px|Solar Cooking: What if the Sun does not Shine?]]
Shortly after the creation of the consortia arrangement described above, in 1994,
 
SCI accepted an invitation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to embark on a demonstration project in a refugee camp. The story of the project in [[Kakuma refugee camp]] is recounted elsewhere; therefore recounting here will be brief. The program was carefully planned (in so far as that was possible for an organization which had not previously worked in an overseas setting) and carefully monitored throughout the project. Kakuma is located in the semi-arid Rift Valley in the far northeast corner of the nation, reachable only by air (or 20 hours on a rickety bus). The camp grew from what seemed a very large 28,000 initially to almost 100,000 at one point, with major changes in the ethnic makeup. Logistical problems were always difficult, as the camp, being so remote, was not easily accessible. Eventually, a Kenyan staff was formed, and the camp work is, in 2004 (8 long years later), phasing into a refugee-run cooperative with similar purposes to the original SCI project, i.e., a demonstration that persons in need can and
 
will adopt solar cooking, save fuel and scarce financial resources, while inflicting less harm on the already fragile environment.
 
   
  +
*{{NewNov15}}'''March 2013:'''
After a successful start at Kakuma camp, Solar Cookers International was invited to initiate a similar project at remote [[Aisha refugee camp]] in [[Ethiopia]].
 
   
  +
::[[File:Solar Cookers & Safe Water 2013 Goals|none|400 px]]
The November 2003 issue of Solar Cooker Review carries [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov03.htm#Sunshine%20does a small article]] about a woman refugee, [[Mumina Baraka]], who now operates a small scale bakery in Kakuma, selling in small quantities to make a living, and to provide baked goods for other refugees to purchase. She plans to take her [[CooKit]] back to Ethiopia with her when that becomes feasible.
 
   
  +
*'''August 2012:''' {{GoogleLinkFromGerman|http://www.wdr.de/mediathek/html/regional/2012/09/24/lokalzeit-aachen-solarkocher.xml|Solarkocher für Kenia|WDR}}
A number of other projects, mentioned above, were established in roughly the
 
same time frame, as described above, in the activities of TWR, the Girl Guides and ICA. (Somewhat later, a Rotary project in Nairobi was started, but turned out to be less than wholly successful, perhaps showing the difficulty of working in urban areas. Need is considerable, but space, security of food and cooker, etc. are difficult issues in congested poorer urban areas.)
 
   
  +
*'''August 2010:'''
During the early years of the Kakuma camp program, the solar cooking program
 
generated considerable interest in refugee circles. All visitors were taken to the training sites and, when advance notice made it possible, given a meal cooked by the sun. SCI's refugee coordinator, a Zairean woman who spoke excellent English, became almost a camp staff person, and was frequently called on to accompany visitors, to translate for them, and to provide demonstrations. One of the visitors in the early years was a UNHCR staff person from the head offices of the UN agency in Geneva. He was integral to beginning the program in Ethiopia. In addition, he discussed the possibility with SCI of working in [[Dadaab refugee camp]] in Kenya, located on the Somali border, to the east and north of Nairobi. That camp, almost entirely Somali in population, was far bigger than Kakuma (with about 100,000 residents) and differently structured, with three separate sub-camps, each located at a distance from the central offices of the organizations serving the camp.
 
   
  +
::[[File:Cooking with sun|thumb|none|400px]]
The camp administrator in Dadaab was enthusiastic about starting a solar cooking
 
program. Activities concerned with energy conservation were well underway in the
 
camp, under the direction of the German technical assistance agency, Deutsche
 
Gemeinshaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit ([[GTZ]]) which had been implementing an
 
improved stove program for some years. That program used an interesting model of
 
"work for a stove" in which individuals were given 25 tree seedlings to plant and
 
cultivate at their own homestead. At the end of three months, if they had successfully nurtured the seedlings, the "gardener" was given a voucher to obtain a stove. The devices used were a somewhat larger version of a charcoal stove in use in Kenya for some years, one in which the fire bed was made of ceramic, then encased in a metal shell. The stoves were "manufactured" in a workshop run by GTZ and were considerably more efficient than traditional three-stone fires. Trained "animatrices" were assigned to various parts of the camp where they did extensive workshops showing people how to use the new equipment.
 
   
  +
*'''February 2008:'''
By the time GTZ heard about the solar program, Dadaab staff had already provided stoves for over 90% of the camp's residents, using the distribution method
 
described above. Both GTZ and SCI agreed that adding solar cookers to the mix would be one more way to cut down on the use of wood fuel, which by that time had been declared unlawful by the Kenya government, but was still occurring routinely. The team of GTZ extension workers, already trained in promotion of wood stoves were given additional training in solar technologies, thus adding another tool to their fuel saving repertoire. Eventually, SCI trained additional Dadaab women as trainers, in order to proceed at a faster rate in this huge camp.
 
   
  +
::[[File:Tusk Trust Documentary - 13 Solar Energy|thumb|Tusk Trust documentary of introducing the [[CooKit]] in Kenya in 2008.|none|400 px]]
An unfortunate event occurred next in Dadaab, one that effectively put an end to
 
the solar cooking project and considerably dampened the improved stove project as well. A delegation of American congresspersons visited the camp. They were told stories of the dangers women were exposed to in the collection of wood (unlike Kakuma, refugees were allowed to collect wood in the area, even though it was unlawful by order of the government). Dadaab is located only about 15 miles from the border with [[Somalia]]; the lawlessness of that country spilled over into the nearby camp. Cars were routinely hijacked, necessitating convoy travel to the campsites. Security was certainly a high concern. Some refugees had been robbed, a few killed, and some women raped and murdered while searching for wood. Naturally, this gained the sympathy of the congresspersons. On return to the US, they managed to add a rider to legislation already in process that provided several million dollars for the purchase of fuelwood for Dadaab.
 
   
  +
===Documents in local languages===
Both GTZ and SCI were horrified at this well meaning, but ultimately destructive, act, which harmed the fuel-efficient stove program and effectively ended the solar cooking project. Obviously, free fuelwood was a far more attractive option. Two years later, the money for fuel was finished, and the programs promoting alternatives to fuelwood were no longer present in the camp. In the US, SCI attempted to protest, but was unsuccessful in obtaining a hearing on this emotional issue, taken up in good faith by ill informed U.S. representatives. The solar cooking program in Dadaab program of SCI was closed and has not been restarted.
 
  +
====Luo====
   
A Swiss woman named [[Alison Curtis]], working for an NGO called the [[Solar Health and Education Project]] (SHEP), has provided a number of workshops in the
 
coastal and other regions of Kenya. The first workshop was held in the Kenya Marine
 
National Reserve locality, a protected part of the spectacular coast of that nation. The initial group trained was made up of teachers and public health workers, in order to encourage the introduction of simple solar technologies into school curricula and thus into everyday life. Both cooking and [[water pasteurization]] techniques were demonstrated and the required skills taught to participants. A second group of new solar cooks was simply introduced to the concept and practice of solar cooking in a basic training workshop, while a third group of experienced cooks reviewed progress in their respective villages (based on earlier training and promotion).
 
   
  +
* [[Media:CooKit booklet luo.pdf|Plans for building a CooKit solar panel cooker]]
A second cluster of workshops was held in an area with a pastoral population that
 
had not been exposed at all to solar cooking previously. The group made their own
 
CooKits from recycled Tetra pack cartons (small boxes used to hold milk, lined with foil, which becomes the CooKit's shiny surface). After construction of the CooKits, smaller groups cooked their meals, with the assistance of the trainers. As is common, amazement was the hallmark of the day! They loved the food and could hardly believe it had been cooked with the sun. In good pastoral style, one of the participants told Ms. Curtis 'this initiative is like a cow given to us. We, the Masai, consider the cow the greatest gift one can offer. Let's utilize it". After the praise a promotion committee was appointed to create an action plan to spread the technology in their area.
 
   
  +
=={{HeadingClimateCulture}}==
An exercise not common in the solar cooking world was executed in Kenya in
 
  +
[[Solar Cookers International]] has rated Kenya as the #13 country in the world in terms of solar cooking potential (See: [[Media:25 countries with most solar cooking potential.pdf|The 25 countries with the most solar cooking potential]]). The estimated number of people in Kenya
2002. Working on behalf of the NGO, [[Solar Household Energy, Inc.]] (SHE, Inc.]] a team of graduate students from the University of Michigan, as a part of an assignment for a class in their MBA program, conducted an extensive market survey re solar cookers in Kenya. The students, supported by a generous donor to the school, conducted both phone and in-person interviews with knowledgeable sources in the U.S., [[Mexico]], and in Kenya itself. The result is a comprehensive review of past and present solar cooking projects in Kenya, their market strategies, successful or failing, along with the views of a large number of opinion leaders from government, the non-governmental community, entrepreneurs and manufacturers on the topics. In conclusion, the students brought their knowledge from Business School courses to bear on the problem, resulting in a useful document for promotion of solar cooking in the country. The document can also serve as a model for other related market research endeavors. Sponsored by SHE, Inc., this unusual effort concerning solar cooking turned out to be not only an excellent learning experience for students but also a document useful for multiple purposes.
 
  +
with fuel scarcity but ample sun in 2020 is 5,900,000. Solar cooking must be introduced in an area with sunshine for at least 6-9 months a year for the technology to be deemed useful. Highlands are often cloudy and overcast and so people tend to go back to their old ways.
   
  +
Fuelwood provides 79% of Kenya’s total energy use. Each day Kenyans burn 37 million kilos of [[wood]] and 6 million kilos of [[charcoal]].
And, lastly, and perhaps of most interest, is a different program of SCI. The project, called [[Sunny Solutions]], was first established in an area of near Lake Victoria. The project is located in Upper and Lower Nyakach divisions, in Nyando district, in Nyanza province, not far from Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya. Local organizations were recruited as partners and an intense awareness campaign involving a range of stakeholders from government, women's groups, churches, and so on, was initiated. Initially, 150 women were invited to try the solar cooking at home; they were provided with CooKits, the cardboard cooker used in areas where families have limited resources, and were given intensive training and an extended follow-up. In early 2003, a team of research consultants conducted an evaluation exercise to serve as a baseline for later program assessment of accomplishments in terms of fuel savings and health benefits.
 
   
  +
Statistics indicate that nearly 25 per cent daily income of urban folks is spent on fuel. This money could be channeled into more pressing needs like education, medicine, housing or other investments if this new technology were to be embraced.
In May 2003, fifteen women were recruited as trainers from the original pool of 150 solar cooks and sixteen women's groups. The trainers learned to solar cook all types of foods, carry out sales and home visits, keep sales records, and test and pasteurize water.
 
   
  +
Mattias Goldmann of the NGO Tricorona reports that he was told that several Kenyan tribes have a "strong taboo" against cooking outside.<ref>http://www.admittingfailure.com/failure/mattias-goldmann/</ref>
In July of 2003, the formal kickoff of the program began, with a proper Kenya style
 
community celebration, including solar cooked food, singing and dancing, visits
 
from government officials and community leaders, with banners strung over the site
 
touting the wonders of the sun. The project was well organized with continuous careful monitoring assure that the project remains on course as it moves towards its goals.
 
   
  +
[[Dinah Chienjo]] of [[Friends of the Old]] reports, "The people have since time immemorial believed that water was blessed from the beginning and cannot cause any diseases but through the education and by showing them the results of the tested waters and telling them the dangers of the germs on the body, they are beginning to change their drinking habits and looking back many people agree that the many stomach related diseases they have suffered in the past have been a result of the bad river or pond water they have been drinking." See [[Water pasteurization]].
In 2005, hand-assembled CooKits were introduced in the community and given the nickname used to describe people of Nyakach - OYWA. Hand-assembly meant an increase in the profit margin received by the seller and a lower retail price for each cooking kit (a Cookit, plastic bags, [[WAPI]], and instruction booklet). Those involved in the assembly process also received commissions for each well-assembled unit. By the end of 2006, the sales team had grown to 23 expert women, called Solar Cooker Representatives (SCOREPS); 4000 CooKits were sold; over 95% of the people of Nyakach were aware of the benefits of solar cooking; and Sunny Solutions had grown to include two more sites, Kadibo, a flood-prone area just outside Kisumu and Kajiado, a drought prone area on the main highway from Nairobi to [[Tanzania]].
 
   
  +
The Kenyan government has banned the use of plastic bags. This makes the use of these as a glazing in a solar cooker impossible. See alternatives to plastic bags in the [[Glazing]] article.
Reports of other small scale programs exist in Kenya; the ones desribed above are
 
the longest lasting and largest known currently.
 
 
''[Information for this section was taken originally from [[Media:sam.pdf|State of the Art of Solar Cooking]] by Dr. [[Barbara Knudson]]. Edits and updates may have occurred since that time.]''
 
 
==Climate, Culture, and Special Considerations==
 
 
[[Solar Cookers International]] has rated Kenya as the #13 country in the world in terms of solar cooking potential (See: [[Media:25_countries_with_most_solar_cooking_potential.pdf|The 25 countries with the most solar cooking potential]]). The estimated number of people in Kenya
 
with fuel scarcity but ample sun in 2020 is 5,900,000.
 
 
Fuelwood provides 79% of Kenya’s total energy use. Each day Kenyans burn 37 million kilos of wood and 6 million kilos of charcoal.
 
 
Statistics indicate that nearly 25 per cent daily income of urban folks is spent on fuel. This money could be channeled into more pressing needs like education, medicine, housing or other investments if this new technology were to be embraced.[http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=87666254632&h=SJ7Y2&u=bKeHi&ref=nf]
 
 
[[Margaret Owino]] of [[Solar Cookers International]] writes: In Kenya it has to be an area with sunshine for at least 6-9 months a year for the technology to be deemed useful. Highlands are often cloudy and overcast and so people tend to go back to their old ways.
 
 
====See also====
 
 
 
* [[Solar Cookers International East Africa Office]] has produced a CD of local recipes.
 
   
  +
==See also==
  +
*{{NewJun21}}[[Media:Example of Site Suitability Study for Kenya.pdf|Example of Site Suitability Study for Kenya]] - ''[[Solar Household Energy]]''
  +
*{{NewNov19}}'''November 2019:''' [https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Long-way-to-Kenya-dream-of-clean-energy/2560-5352078-ym17khz/index.html Long way to Kenya’s dream of clean energy] - ''The East African''
  +
*{{NewNov19}}'''Cookbook:''' [[Media:The-Kenya-eCookbook-Beans-Cereals-edition-3-July-FULL-RECREATED-WEB-1-4mb.pdf|The Kenya eCookbook: Beans & Cereals Edition - How to Save Time and Money]]
  +
* [http://solarcooking.org/research/specialchallenges4solarcooking.pdf The Special Challenges of Solar Cooking] - ''Charles Onyango-Oloo''
  +
*{{WikipediaClimate|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Kenya#Climate}}
  +
*{{NewJul19}}{{EnergySituationEnergypedia}}
 
* [http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=0.331584~37.906891&style=h&lvl=6&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=3692425 View an interactive map of Kenya]
 
* [http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=0.331584~37.906891&style=h&lvl=6&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=3692425 View an interactive map of Kenya]
  +
* {{NewApr20}}Now that the Kenyan Government has banned plastic bags, it might necessary to use [[Glazing|other simple glazings to surround the cooking pot]]
 
* [[Africa#Eastern_Africa|Discussion of eastern Africa's suitability for solar cooking]]<br />
+
* [[Africa#Eastern_Africa|Discussion of eastern Africa's suitability for solar cooking]]
 
 
* [[Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables]]
 
* [[Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables]]
   
  +
=={{HeadingHistory}}==
==Resources==
 
  +
[[Image:Food_versus_charcoal.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Each group of items costs the same as does the pile of charcoal shown. By using a [[CooKit]] or other solar cooker, people can buy food instead of fuel.]]
===Possible [[funders]] of solar cooking projects in {{PAGENAME}}===
 
  +
Kenya has been the center of solar cooking activity in East Africa. A number of organizations have endeavored to promote the technology in this country, which has been the commercial hub of the area for several decades. Its capital, Nairobi, is also well served by air, making access to the nation and region readily available, using Nairobi as entry point.
  +
{{SubSection|Gemeinshaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GZT) and Trans World Radio}}
  +
The promotion of solar energy is decades old in Kenya. As far back as 1977, [[GTZ]]
  +
(the Germany's official technical aid agency) initiated and later abandoned a project in Nairobi. The reason given had to do with the fact that the products used were made in [[Germany]], and were not available in East Africa. Two different Catholic missions in rural Kenya tried solar cooking introduction, but no information is available on the outcomes. As early as 1991, a few solar ovens were exported to [[Tanzania]] (through Trans World Radio, perhaps), indicating that the product presented a business opportunity. In 1992, an Earthwatch grant permitted an academic, Dr. [[Daniel Kammen]], to begin a multi-year study of renewable energy technologies, including solar cookers, using volunteers in short-term Earthwatch projects.
   
  +
Other early efforts included the work of Trans World Radio to promote solar use, within the [https://www.wagggs.org/en/our-world/africa/ Girl Guides] organization. It was a large project begun under the auspices of the Institute for Cultural Affairs, and also with the effort of a remarkable Peace Corp Volunteer. In the mid-1990s, with assistance of [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI), a national coordinating body for the purpose of sharing information and strengthening progress by collective action around the topic of solar cooking was formed in Nairobi.
   
  +
Among those early efforts was the activity of Trans World Radio (TWR). TWR work began in the early 1990s. A conference proceedings on Renewable Energy Policies in East Africa, held in 1993, included a paper by TWR coordinator [[Clive
*[http://www.kiva.org/about/aboutPartner?id=133 Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET)]
 
  +
Wafukho]] on their work in solar cooking. This organization promoted solar cooking on its radio programs, made and sold box cookers in the Nairobi environs, and worked also in a distant refugee camp. They pioneered solar cooking in [http://solarcooking.org/kakuma-m.htm Kakuma Refugee Camp], where [[SCI]] later established another project. TRW estimated that in the period between 1992
*[http://www.kiva.org/about/aboutPartner?id=142 Faulu Kenya]
 
  +
and 2001, they distributed a total of 2,350 cookers in the camp and other localities in Kenya. Logistics and staff support were always problems in the remote areas. In 2000, there was an attempt to solve that problem with the training of refugees as carpenters to be able to build the cookers within the camp itself. TRW reported the production of 400 cookers.
*[http://www.kiva.org/about/aboutPartner?id=138 Small and Micro Enterprise Programme (SMEP)]
 
*[[Spirit in Action]]
 
   
  +
The cookers were large and well suited to the needs of the [[Sudan]]ese population living in extended family compounds, and required cooking for 10-20 people daily. Trans-World Radio demonstrated remarkable staying power in this difficult to serve area, which had a population that could not afford to buy the expensive box cookers. Therefore, most were given away free, with funds raised for the most part outside of Africa. TWR estimated that two-thirds of the cookers are used regularly.
===Newsletters===
 
  +
{{SubSection|Barbara Ross, Peace Corps volunteer}}
  +
In roughly the same time period, U.S.Peace Corps volunteer, Barbara Ross, was assigned to an area in western Kenya. Her responsibilities were varied, but, but aside frome of her assigned tasks, she began to promote of solar cooking. Ms. Ross recruited and trained a number of women where she worked, who then formed themselves into a Housewives' Club, and proceeded in turn to teach others. They made [[solar box cooker]] of cardboard, which worked very well in a propitious climate, and solar cooking was on its way in this part of Kenya.
  +
{{SubSection|World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts}}
  +
The interest of [[World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts|Girl Guides]] with solar cooking also goes back to roughly the same time period. An early training program was initiated in Kenya by [[Barby Pulliam]], chief promoter of the [[World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts]]. Little remains of that single demonstration, but it did serve as a foundation for later work that was developed more fully in the late 1990s. An interesting offshoot of that program was a unique program begun by a Girl Guide troop in [[Kakuma refugee camp]]. It was run by individuals originally inspired by the work of Ms. Pulliam.
  +
{{SubSection|Institute for Cultural Affair}}
  +
The Institute for Cultural Affairs, (ICA), which had a long term presence in the development community, focused on empowering local communities to define their own needs and plan their own
  +
development strategies. Solar cooking was somewhat of a side interest for ICA, though
  +
obviously related to its larger mission. To carry out the solar cooking mission, a Swiss volunteer, long interested and skilled in the technology and in training others, joined the Nairobi staff of ICA, for the specific purpose of promoting solar cooking. ICA created a [[solar box cooker]] construction course at a local technical school, which ultimately produced all the cookers used by ICA in the communities where they worked. ICA used a classical community development approach in their work. In community meetings, workers persuaded community members to define their needs and existing barriers, which prevent adoption of solar cooking. Fuel shortage was a major problem, and hence solar cooking promotion became an ongoing part of the program in many areas of Kenya. Unfortunately, the solar activity more or less ceased after the very effective volunteer returned to her home.
   
  +
The agencies described above formed the core of the solar cooking consortium
  +
formed in 1994, with some financial aid from SCI. The purpose of the consortium
  +
formed around solar cooking was to share information with one another, and to enlist
  +
additional person power for promotional activities. SCI provided financial and moral
  +
support to the effort for some years. One conference was held in Nairobi, and one in outstate Kenya, with the hope of involving additional people in the effort. Ultimately, the logic of solar power technology dictated that purveyors and promoters of photovoltaic technologies would also be included in the group. Over time, and after finally achieving NGO status in Kenya (not an easy task), the organization came to be dominated by the larger and considerably-more powerful community of business and industrial photovoltaic personnel in Kenya and thus of less value to solar cooking promoters.
  +
{{SubSection|Solar Cookers International, Kakuma refugee camp}}
  +
Shortly after the creation of the consortia arrangement in 1994, SCI accepted an invitation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to embark on a demonstration project in a refugee camp. The story of the project in the [[Kakuma refugee camp]] has been recounted elsewhere, therefore recounting here will be brief. The program was carefully planned (insofar as that was possible for an organization, which had not previously worked in an overseas setting) and carefully monitored throughout the project. Kakuma is located in the semi-arid Rift Valley in the far northeast corner of the nation, reachable only by air (or 20 hours on a rickety bus). The camp grew from what seemed a very large 28,000 initially to almost 100,000 at one point, with major changes in the ethnic makeup. Logistical problems were always difficult, as the camp, being so remote, was not easily accessible. Eventually, a Kenyan staff was formed, and the camp work in 2004 (8 long years later), phasing into a refugee-run cooperative with similar purposes to the original SCI project, i.e., a demonstration that people in need can and
  +
will adopt solar cooking, save fuel and scarce financial resources, while inflicting less harm on the already fragile environment.
   
  +
After a successful start at Kakuma camp, Solar Cookers International was invited to initiate a similar project at remote [[Aisha refugee camp]] in [[Ethiopia]].
*''[[suNews]]'' (Published by the [[Solar Cookers International East Africa Office]])
 
   
  +
The November 2003 issue of Solar Cooker Review carries to recount of [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov03.htm#Sunshine%20does Sunshine does let them eat cake] about a woman refugee, Mumina Baraka, who has operated a small-scale bakery in Kakuma, selling in small quantities to make a living, and to provide baked goods for other refugees to purchase. She planned to take her [[CooKit]] back to Ethiopia with her when that became feasible.
===Blogs===
 
   
  +
Somewhat later, a Rotary project in Nairobi was started, but turned out to be less than wholly successful, perhaps showing the difficulty of working in urban areas. The need is considerable, but space, security of food and cooker, etc. are difficult issues in congested poorer urban areas.
   
  +
During the early years of the Kakuma camp program, the solar cooking program
*[[HIV in Kenya]]
 
  +
generated considerable interest in refugee circles. All visitors were taken to the training sites and, when advance notice made it possible, given a meal cooked by the sun. SCI's refugee coordinator, a Zairean woman who spoke excellent English, became almost a camp staff person, and was frequently called on to accompany visitors, to translate for them, and to provide demonstrations. One of the visitors in the early years was a UNHCR staff person from the head offices of the UN agency in Geneva. He was integral to beginning the program in Ethiopia. In addition, he discussed the possibility with SCI of working in [[Dadaab refugee camp]] in Kenya, located on the Somali border, to the east and north of Nairobi. That camp, almost entirely Somali in population, was far bigger than Kakuma (with about 100,000 residents) and differently structured, with three separate sub-camps, each located at a distance from the central offices of the organizations which served the camp.
  +
{{SubSection|Dadaab refugee camp}}
  +
The camp administrator in Dadaab was enthusiastic about starting a solar cooking
  +
program. Activities directed at energy conservation were well underway in the
  +
camp, under the direction of the German technical assistance agency, Deutsche
  +
Gemeinshaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit ([[GTZ]]), which had been implementing an
  +
improved stove program for some years. That program used an interesting model of
  +
"work for a stove" in which individuals were given 25 tree seedlings to plant and
  +
cultivate at their own homestead. At the end of three months, if they had successfully nurtured the seedlings, the "gardener" was given a voucher to obtain a stove. The devices used were a somewhat larger version of a charcoal stove in use in Kenya for some years, one in which the fire bed was made of ceramic, then encased in a metal shell. The stoves were manufactured in a workshop run by GTZ, and were considerably more efficient than traditional three-stone fires. Trained "animatrices" were assigned to various parts of the camp, where they did extensive workshops showing people how to use the new equipment.
   
  +
By the time GTZ heard about the solar program, the Dadaab staff had already provided stoves for over 90% of the camp's residents. Both GTZ and SCI agreed that adding solar cookers to the mix would be one more way to cut down on the use of wood fuel, which by that time had been declared unlawful by the Kenya government but was still routinely used. The team of GTZ extension workers, already trained in promotion of wood stoves, were given additional training in solar technologies, thus adding another tool to their fuel-saving repertoire. Eventually, SCI trained additional Dadaab women as trainers, in order to proceed at a faster rate in this huge camp.
===Reports===
 
  +
{{SubSection|Fuelwood wrong turn}}
  +
An unfortunate event occurred next in Dadaab, one that effectively put an end to
  +
the solar cooking project and considerably dampened the improved stove project as well. A delegation of American congresspersons visited the camp. They were told stories of the dangers that women were exposed to in the collection of wood (unlike Kakuma, refugees were allowed to collect wood in the area, even though it was unlawful by order of the government). Dadaab is located only about 15 miles from the border with [[Somalia]]; the lawlessness of that country spilled over into the nearby camp. Cars were routinely hijacked, necessitating convoy travel to the campsites. Security was certainly a high concern. Some refugees had been robbed, a few killed, and some women raped and murdered while searching for wood. Naturally, this gained the sympathy of the congresspersons. On return to the US, they managed to add a rider to legislation already in process that provided several million dollars for the purchase of fuelwood for Dadaab.
   
  +
Both GTZ and SCI were horrified at this well-meaning, but ultimately destructive act, which harmed the fuel-efficient stove program and effectively ended the solar cooking project. Obviously, free fuelwood was a far more attractive option. Two years later, the money for fuel was finished, and the programs promoting alternatives to fuelwood were no longer present in the camp. In the US, SCI attempted to protest, but was unsuccessful in obtaining a hearing on this emotional issue, taken up in good faith by ill-informed U.S. representatives. The solar cooking program in Dadaab program of SCI was closed and has not been restarted.
  +
{{SubSection}|Solar Health and Education Project (SHEP)}}
  +
A Swiss woman named [[Alison Curtis]], working for an NGO called the [[Solar Health and Education Project]](SHEP), provided a number of workshops in the coastal and other coastal regions of Kenya. The initial group of trainers was made up of teachers and public health workers, in order to encourage the introduction of simple solar technologies into school curricula and thus into everyday life. Both cooking and [[water pasteurization]] techniques were demonstrated and taught to participants. A second group of new solar cooks was simply introduced to the concept and practice of solar cooking in a basic training workshop, while a third group of experienced cooks reviewed progress in their respective villages (based on earlier training and promotion).
   
  +
A second cluster of workshops was held in an area with a pastoral population that
*'''June 2010:''' [http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/pfil/1202/Solar_Cooking_at_the_Mara.pdf Solar Cooking Demonstration at the Mara in Narok; Kenya]
 
  +
had not been previously exposed to solar cooking. The group made their own [[CooKit]]s from recycled Tetra pack cartons (small boxes used to hold milk, lined with foil, which became the CooKit's shiny surface). After construction of the CooKits, the smaller groups cooked their meals, with the assistance of the trainers. As is common, amazement was the hallmark of the day! They loved the food and could hardly believe it had been cooked with the sun. In good pastoral style, one of the participants told Ms. Curtis "this initiative is like a cow given to us. We, the Masai, consider the cow the greatest gift one can offer. Let's utilize it". After the praise was given, a promotion committee was appointed to create an action plan to spread the technology in their area.
*'''July 2008:''' [[Media:East_Africa_Report_-_Karyn_Ellis_-_July_2008_.pdf|East Africa Report - ''Karyn Ellis'']]
 
  +
{{SubSection|Solar Household Energy}}
*'''May 2008:''' [[SCI’s Kenya Program: Sunny Solutions and Beyond]] - ''[[Karyn Ellis]]''
 
  +
Working on behalf of the NGO in 2002, [[Solar Household Energy, Inc.]] (SHE, Inc.]] basically a team of graduate students from the University of Michigan, as a part of an assignment for a class in their MBA program, conducted an extensive market survey of solar cookers in Kenya. The students, supported by a generous donor to the school, conducted both phone and in-person interviews with knowledgeable sources in the U.S., [[Mexico]], and within Kenya itself. The result was a comprehensive review of past and present solar cooking projects in Kenya, their market strategies, successful or failing, along with the views of a large number of opinion leaders from the government, the non-governmental community, and pertinent entrepreneurs and manufacturers. The students brought their knowledge from business school courses to bear on the problem, resulting in a useful document for promotion of solar cooking in the country. The document also served as a model for other related market research endeavors. Sponsored by SHE, Inc., this unusual effort turned out to be not only an excellent learning experience for students but also a quite useful document for different disciplines.
*'''September 2006:''' [http://www.solarcooking.org/research/specialchallenges4solarcooking.pdf The Special Challenges of Solar Cooking]
 
  +
{{SubSection|Sunny Solutions (SCI)}}
*'''June 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/lasting-impacts.htm Lasting Impacts of Solar Cooking in Kenya] ''- Melanie Szulczewski, Ph. D.''
 
  +
Perhaps of most interest, was a different program by [[SCI]]. The project, called [[Sunny Solutions]], was established in an area near Lake Victoria. The project was located in Upper and Lower Nyakach divisions, not far from Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya. Local organizations were recruited as partners and an intense awareness campaign involving a range of stakeholders from government, women's groups, churches, etc., was initiated. Initially, 150 women were invited to try the solar cooking at home; they were provided with CooKits, the cardboard cooker used in areas where families have limited resources and were given intensive training and an extended follow-up. In early 2003, a team of research consultants conducted an evaluation exercise to serve as a baseline for later program assessment of accomplishments in terms of fuel savings and health benefits.
*[http://solarcooking.org/kakuma-m.htm A page with chronological reports from the Solar Cookers International solar cooking project in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya].
 
*'''May 2003:''' [http://solarcooking.org/research/KeyanSolarOvenMarket.pdf A Market-Based Strategy for Introducing Passive Solar Ovens in Kenya]
 
   
  +
In May 2003, fifteen women were recruited as trainers from the original pool of 150 solar cooks and sixteen women's groups. The trainers learned to solar cook all types of foods, carry out sales and home visits, keep sales records, and test and [[ water pasteurization|pasteurize]] water.
===Articles in the media===
 
   
  +
In July of 2003, the formal kickoff of the program began with a proper Kenya style
  +
community celebration, including solar cooked food, singing and dancing, visits
  +
from government officials and community leaders. Banners were strung over the site
  +
touting the wonders of the sun. The project was well organized with continuous careful monitoring to assure that the project remained on course as it moved towards its goals.
   
  +
In 2005, hand-assembled CooKits were introduced in the community and given the nickname used to describe people of Nyakach - OYWA. Hand-assembly meant an increase in the profit margin received by the seller and a lower retail price for each cooking kit (a Cookit, plastic bags, [[WAPI]], and instruction booklet). Those involved in the assembly process also received commissions for each well-assembled unit. By the end of 2006, the sales team had grown to 23 expert women, called Solar Cooker Representatives (SCOREPS); 4000 CooKits were sold; over 95% of the people of Nyakach were aware of the benefits of solar cooking; and Sunny Solutions had grown to include two more sites, Kadibo, a flood-prone area just outside Kisumu, and Kajiado, a drought prone area on the main highway from Nairobi to [[Tanzania]].
*'''September 2010:''' [http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/101567.html Solar cooking in Kenya makes firewood a thing of the past] - '' United Nation Radio''
 
*'''August 2010''' [http://www.actionatlas.org/climate-change/adapting-to-change/harnessing-solar-energy-for-a-better-livelihood/summary/pa380D454F289C6C1FD3 Solarcooking for the Rural and Marginalized Communities] - ''Global Action Atlas''
 
*'''June 2010:''' [http://www.alertnet.org/db/an_art/60167/2010/05/9-124753-1.htm Kenyans racing ahead with small-scale alternative energy inventions] - ''Reuters AlertNet''
 
 
* '''October 2009:''' [http://allafrica.com/stories/200910141045.html Kenya: Entrepreneurs Cashing in on Green Campaign] - ''Business Daily (Nairobi)''
 
 
*'''June 2009:''' [http://www.chinafrica.asia/solar-energy-kenya/ China and kenya setting up a joint venture for solar energy products] - ''Chinaafrica.asia''
 
 
*'''April 2009:''' [http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/09/solar.oven.global.warming/ Inventor turns cardboard boxes into eco-friendly oven] - ''CNN'' ([[Solar Cookers International]] alerted CNN that this invention is not new. CNN then updated the story to mention the work of SCI and others.)
 
 
*'''March 2009:''' [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/14fa667c-13e3-11de-9e32-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 The five fighters of climate change] - ''Financial Times''
 
 
*'''July 2008:''' [http://www.eastandard.net/InsidePage.php?mnu=details&id=1143990877&catid=259 Taming harsh sunrays to make cooking easy] - ''The Standard (Nairobi)''
 
 
* '''July 2008:''' [http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2008/07/01/mckenzie.gg.kenya.sun.water.cnn Kenya's sun water] - ''CNN''
 
 
*'''June 2008:''' [http://www.eastandard.net/restate/index.php?id=1143988275 Demand for solar soars] - ''The Standard (Nairobi)''
 
 
*'''April 2008:''' [http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3560/context/archive Kenyans Tap Sun to Make Dirty Water Sparkle] - ''Women's eNews''
 
 
*'''February 2007:''' [http://www.coastweek.com/3107-25.htm Think Green - Think Conservation: Time To Join growing 'Green' Movement Around The World] - ''CoastWeek''
 
 
*'''November 2007:''' [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov07.htm#Kenya Kenya safe water project to include innovative testing, pasteurizing tools] - ''Solar Cooker Review''
 
 
*'''November 2007:''' [http://allafrica.com/stories/200710310998.html Kenya: Solar power on the rise] - ''East African Standard''
 
 
*'''May 2007:''' [http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=318719 Sacramento’s Solar Cookers International uses the sun to improve quality of life, one village at a time] - ''Sacramento News Review''
 
 
*'''March 2007:''' [http://new.savannahnow.com/node/244698 A life in the Peace Corps: Public health volunteer in Kenya] - ''Savannah Morning News''
 
 
*'''February 2007:''' [http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Rural_Kenyan_Women_On_Vanguard_Of_African_Solar_Revolution.html Rural Kenyan women on vanguard of African solar revolution] - ''Agence France Presse''
 
 
*'''December 2006:''' [http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S16/64/54Q97/index.xml?section=topstories,featured Student sows seeds of community-helping technology in Africa] - ''News@Princeton''
 
 
*'''November 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9 Kenyan women look to the sun for cooking] - ''Mail and Guardian''
 
 
*'''October 2006:''' [http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=October&x=20061030131055AKllennoCcM0.9592554 Solar Cooking Solution Changing Lives in Kenya] - ''US State Department''
 
 
*'''March 2006:''' [http://web.archive.org/web/20070315151629/http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20060322/NEWS/60321005 Truckee Rotary clubs heat things up in Kenya] - ''Sierra Sun''
 
 
===Audio and video===
 
[[Video:Cooking with sun|thumb|300px|left]]
 
*'''November 2009:''' [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55OFdg6Jbr8&feature=player_embedded Solar cooking comes of age in Kenya] - ''Al Jazeera''
 
 
*'''January 2007:''' [http://movies7.arcoiris.tv/movies/WSF_nairobi_2007/spazi_e_stand/solar_cookers_intl_big.ram A video interview] with [[SCI]]'s [[Faustine Odaba]] at the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.
 
 
*'''September 2006:''' A video interview with Margaret Owino ([http://solarcooking.org/media/video/INN_Report_2006-09-22.wmv High bandwidth] or [http://solarcooking.org/media/video/INN_Report_2006-09-22-Low.wmv low bandwidth])
 
 
*'''September 2006:''' An interview with Margaret Owino that was broadcast on WBAI in New York (WMA: [http://solarcooking.org/media/audio/060922_080001wuc.wma 22k] or MP3: [http://solarcooking.org/media/audio/060922_080001wuc.mp3 24k])
 
 
*[http://solarcooking.org/media/audio/LifeEarth.RA ''Life on Earth'' piece on solar cooking in Kenya]
 
 
*[http://solarcooking.org/media/audio/voa1.ra ''Voice of America'' piece on the Earthwatch solar cooking project in Kenya]
 
 
===Documents in local languages===
 
====Luo====
 
 
 
* [[Media:CooKit_booklet_luo.pdf|Plans for building a CooKit solar panel cooker]]
 
   
  +
Reports of other small-scale programs exist in Kenya; the ones desribed above are
  +
the longest lasting and largest known currently.
  +
{{ArchivedPagesForHistory}}
 
{{CountryContacts}}
 
{{CountryContacts}}
  +
<references />
  +
[[Category:Countries]]
  +
[[Category:Africa]]
 
[[Category:East Africa]]
 
[[Category:East Africa]]
[[Category:Africa]]
+
[[Category:Kenya]]
[[Category:Countries]]
+
[[Category:Countries with the greatest solar cooking potential]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
 
[[Category:&lt;img data-rte-meta=&quot;%7B%22type%22%3A%22double-brackets%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22PAGENAME%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%7B%7BPAGENAME%7D%7D%22%7D&quot; data-rte-instance=&quot;2307-19136645854f47758cac7dd&quot; class=&quot;placeholder placeholder-double-brackets&quot; src=&quot;data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIABAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAEALAAAAAABAAEAQAICTAEAOw%3D%3D&quot; type=&quot;double-brackets&quot; /&gt;]]
 

Latest revision as of 18:52, 8 March 2024

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Last edited: 29 January 2024      
In 2019, Solar Cookers International provided 300 people with solar cookers and the training to use them in the Kakuma Refugee Camp.

Events[]

Featured international events[]

SE for ALL forum logo 2024, 10-3-23
  • 4-6 June 2024 (Bridgetown, Barbados): Sustainable Energy for All Global Forum - The event will be co-hosted by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the government of Barbados. It is a platform for government, business and finance leaders, entrepreneurs, and youth and community representatives from around the world to come together to broker new partnerships, spur new investment, and address challenges at the nexus of energy, climate, and development. More information...

Online events[]

Requests for proposal[]

  • Decentralized Renewable Energy Solutions utilizing Solar and Bio-Energy - Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments of ScienceDirect, is requesting guest-author submissions. The special issue, VSI: DRES is devoted to publishing research articles reporting the innovative designs and design interventions in solar thermal and bio-energy for decentralized energy systems (DES). It includes i) new and novel designs of prototype or commercial devices and technologies, their development, modeling and simulations and experimental validation; ii) innovations for processes, techniques, utilization, and applications; iii) novel use of materials for improving efficiency, performance, techno-economic feasibility, and sustainability and iv) research findings addressing the socio-economic, health and safety impacts, and life cycle assessments leading to proposing novel devices for DES. The Deadline for submission is 31 July 2024. More submittal information...
See also: Global Calendar of Events and past events in Kenya

Significant project[]

Kakuma12

Refugees from Sudan are trained by Solar Cookers International in the use of their new CooKit solar cookers.

  • The Kakuma Refugee Camp was the first to receive a large scale solar cooking project - The Kakuma Refugee Camp was formed in 1972 when Sudanese refugees first arrived in Kakuma, Kenya. Introducing solar cooking to the camp was Solar Cookers International’s first and largest refugee project, beginning in January 1995. Kakuma had considerable refugee turnover, but by 2004, when Solar Cookers International (SCI) concluded the project, the camp had tripled in size to nearly 90,000 refugees. Though rapid growth posed problems for assisting all those who wanted to solar cook, SCI ultimately served over 15,000 families. This project was one of the earliest to use the CooKit solar panel cooker to introduce solar cooking. The program also extended solar cooker technology to schools, especially primary schools, through demonstrations, poems, songs and drama.

News[]

  • NEW: March 2024: Producing more Funnel solar cookers: - Didacus Pius Odhiambo has provided photos of assembling several more Funnel solar cookers for Farmers with a Vision.
Photo credit: Farmers with a Vision
  • October 2023: A celebration at the completion of a successful integrated solar cooking workshop in Kenya’s Kwale district, led by the engineer Penina Nzioka, with coordination assistance from Bernhard Müller.
Bernhard Müller attends workshop celebration, 10-26-23

Bernhard Müller attends the workshop celebration at the completion of participant training, led by engineer Penina Nzioka. The handsome heat-retention baskets on display were assembled by the group, Photo credit: Penina Nzioka

  • September 2023: Camily Wedende of Sun Cookers International provided a solar cooking demonstration to Kenyan locals in West Pokot County. Attendance was greater than expected, so food portions had to be rationed some. Camily used a collection of Haines 1 solar panel cookers provided by Roger Haines to prepare a midday meal. Participants witnessed solar cooking in action for the first time, and were quite impressed.
Photo credit: Camily Wedende
Photo credit: Tonembee Association
Kakuma cooker photo, 3-29-23

Woman examines an Ecomandate Foundation built solar box oven at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Photo credit SCI

  • March 2023: Solar Cookers International in partnership with the Ecomandate Foundation - The organizations have implemented an ongoing solar cooking project at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Solar Cookers International emphasizes and applies best practices in project development and project monitoring and evaluation. Ecomandate Foundation brings hands-on construction, their local experience as part of the community, and familiarity with local customs, practices, and languages. Read more...


  • February 2023: A multi-day solar cooker construction and use workshop took place in Eldoret Kenya. It became a reality through the efforts of a number of supporting individuals, non-profit organizations, and manufacturers. The solar panel cooker materials were provided by Haines Solar Cookers, with general funding by the Rotary Club of San Diego. Solar Education Project founders, Mary Buchenic and Jennifer Gasser wrote workbooks and translated them into Swahili for the participants. Additional project support was provided by Solar Household Energy. The workshop leader was Grace Chepkemei, who was assisted by local solar cooking advocate Camily Wedende. Participants were excited about the training, and surprised at the variety and excellent taste of the foods they prepared.
Haines_Solar_Cooking_Workshop_in_Eldoret,_Kenya_2022-2

Haines Solar Cooking Workshop in Eldoret, Kenya 2022-2

  • Photo credits: Farmers with a Vision
  • December 2022: In April 2022 Bernhard Müller made a video how to make a fireless cookers at Armstrong Women Empowerment Centre in Kisumu, Kenya under the leadership of Elva Rebecca "Beckie" Ondiek. "It took two full days of intense work to make. The video was first published with German subtitles on YouTube. It took me a very long time to look for somebody to help me editing the video in English language. Eventually, Sara Hjalmarsson of Engineers Without Borders - Sweden (EWB-S) did this absolutely stunning work." The video is now available by clicking on the link: DIY Heat Retention Baskets - Fireless Cookers
Kihuha Bruno demonstrates Haines panel cooker, 12-1-22

Kihuha Bruno demonstrates a Haines panel cooker by preparing a meal at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Photo credit: Kihuha Bruno

  • December 2022: Kihuha Bruno has been a longtime advocate of using solar cooking, particularly with those having limited resources. He has worked frequently at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya demonstrating the effectiveness of Haines Solar Cookers, thereby avoiding deforestation from firewwood collection, and respiratory illness from using open fires for cooking.
Fireless cookers, Nairobi, Kenya, 8-29-22

Fireless cooker workshop with Samuel Odhiambo in Nairobi, Photo credit: [[AfriShiners]]

  • August 2022: fireless cookers: Samuel Odhiambo from AfriShiners ran a fireless cooker workshop in Nairobi recently.
Kakuma workshop 2, 5-30-22

The Solar Education Project reports that Grace Chepkemei shared her skill and knowledge about solar cooking and heat-retention basket cooking, Photo credit: Solar Education Project

Kakuma workshop, 5-30-22 baskets

Heat-retention cooking baskets were constructed at the workshop.Photo credit: Solar Education Project

Solar tunnel dryer, Kenya, Müller, 1-4-22

Solar tunnel dryer designed by Bernhard Müller for his partners in Kenya and Uganda Photo credit: Bernhard Müller

  • January 2022: Solar tunnel dryer design for Kenya and Uganda: - Bernhard Müller offered his design skills in helping to create a new solar tunnel dryer for his partners in Kenya and Uganda. A 10W solar panel powers a fan providing air flow and enables the people who work with the dryer to charge their phones simultaneously.
Penina Nzioka solar cooking demo., Kwale co

Solar cooking demonstration in Mwandogo by Penina Nzioka

  • September 2021: Solar cooking demonstration in Mwandogo - Penina Nzioka conducted a workshop to demonstrate the potential of solar box cookers in her hometown, located nearby to Mombasa.
  • June 2021: Taxes help and hinder solar cooker sales in Kenya - Previously, there has been a value-added tax on the purchase of raw materials used for manufacturing solar cookers within the country. Amounting to roughly 16% in additional cost, manufacturers said the savings will be passed on to the consumer. However the government has also removed the tax exemption for clean cooking appliances, as well as other less polluting technologies. This will discourage wider adoption and slow the improvement of air quality. Still widely used, charcoal, retains its tax-exempt status. Read more...
Millicent Anyango store, Kenya, 5-27-21

Millicent Anyango's display of stoves and fireless cookers in Migori County, Kenya

  • May 2021: Bernhard Müller reports in the AfriShiners Newsletter that Millicent Anyango maintains a supply of Baba Moto improved combustion stoves and fireless cookers from her location in Migori County, Kenya. She also organizes clean-cooking and fireless cooking workshops throughout western Kenya. Penina Nzioka, another AfriShiner member from Mwandogo nearby to Mombasa, trains the women in her village in the use of fireless cookers, and how to process coconut oil in a solar box cooker.
SCI Order of Excellence, Republic of Kenya, 3-21
  • March 2021: The Solar Cookers International Order of Excellence annual award for 2020 has been given to the Republic of Kenya for including solar cooking in its Voluntary National Review (VNR) to track progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The award recognizes the most outstanding people and organizations whose sustained efforts have contributed most to empowering people to cook food and pasteurize water with solar energy. 
John Amayo workshop, Kisumu, Kenya, 1-25-21 copy

John Amayo conducted a workshop on the Integrated Cooking Method in Kisumu, Kenya. Photo credit: John Amayo

  • December 2020: Samuel Odiambo of the Asulma Centre, in conjunction with Didacus Pius Odhiambo of Farmers with a Vision, trained Grace Mubi and Sarah Ndunyo, of Shambani Millers Self Help Group, and a group of villagers from Kitui, Kenya, about the techniques of Integrated Solar Cooking.
Gallery photo credit: Farmers with a Vision
  • March 2020: Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo - The three-day forum and exposition opened in Nairobi on February 18th with many contributing experts from various parts of the world. The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, was also present on the first day of the Expo to assure his government's enthusiastic support for the development of off-grid solar products for use in Kenya. The science of solar cooking and e-cooking were also featured topics of discussion at the forum. More information...
SCI Kakuma 02-20

Kakuma residents with on of the Heliac solar cookers provided by Solar Cookers International

  • November 2019: Community bakery - GoSol.org reports that one of their solar array cookers, first put into use in 2017 in the Kisumu area, in Kenya is still in use. It was later transferred to Friends of Ndere, a very active baking community, which already had a GoSol concentrator. In spite of this being one an early pilot unit, they are still using this unit to bake bread. Below is a video in Swahili showing the concentrator in action. More information...
SOL5_Technology_-_Solar_Energy_for_SMEs

SOL5 Technology - Solar Energy for SMEs

Solar Energy for SMEs (English)

Friends_of_Ndere-0

Friends of Ndere-0

A video in Swahili showing the concentrator in action

Farmers with a Vision - February 2019

Farmers with a Vision cooking in front of store

SCI PEP University of Nairobi Kenya 2019

The Performance Evaluation Process in action

  • June 2019: Solar Cookers International opens new PEP testing center at the University of Nairobi, Kenya - SCI’s PEP test allows manufacturers and consumers to know the cooking power of solar cookers without brand bias and to develop a baseline for comparison. PEP testing demonstrates to solar cooker users and investors the power, in watts, they can expect from a specific model of solar cooker. SCI PEP results are trustworthy because the PEP test is based on an internationally accepted protocol for testing and reporting solar cooker performance. SCI also has centers in Lalitpur, Nepal; New York, USA; and California, USA. Having global locations for SCI PEP testing centers is important to advancing the adoption of solar cooking worldwide and affirms SCI’s role as the leader within the solar cooking sector. Local testing of solar cookers supports the regional economy, job growth and builds capacity in the sector. [1]
Kakuma 2019

Refugee women with a Heliac Solar Cooker

  • June 2019: Solar Cookers International has recently brought life-saving solar cooking to more than 300 people in the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Before you stepped in, women were often forced to sell their precious food rations for cooking fuel, putting their children at risk of malnutrition. If they dared to journey outside of the camp to collect firewood, they risked violence.
Fireless cooker workshop Faustine O

Fireless cooker workshop held at the Armstrong Women Empowerment Centre in Rabuor under the direction of Faustine Odaba. Photo credit: John Amayo

Muller1 11-17

Photo credit: Bernhard Müller

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  • February 2020:
Solar_Cooking_in_Kenya

Solar Cooking in Kenya

  • May 2017:
  • January 2017:
  • January 2017:
  • 2014:
Solvatten_Kakuma,_Kenya

Solvatten Kakuma, Kenya

  • December 2014:
Fireless_Cookers_complement_Solar_Cookers-0

Fireless Cookers complement Solar Cookers-0

Solar Cooking: What if the Sun does not Shine?

  • March 2013:
  • August 2010:
Cooking_with_sun

Cooking with sun

  • February 2008:
Tusk_Trust_Documentary_-_13_Solar_Energy

Tusk Trust Documentary - 13 Solar Energy

Tusk Trust documentary of introducing the CooKit in Kenya in 2008.

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Luo[]

Climate and culture[]

Solar Cookers International has rated Kenya as the #13 country in the world in terms of solar cooking potential (See: The 25 countries with the most solar cooking potential). The estimated number of people in Kenya with fuel scarcity but ample sun in 2020 is 5,900,000. Solar cooking must be introduced in an area with sunshine for at least 6-9 months a year for the technology to be deemed useful. Highlands are often cloudy and overcast and so people tend to go back to their old ways.

Fuelwood provides 79% of Kenya’s total energy use. Each day Kenyans burn 37 million kilos of wood and 6 million kilos of charcoal.

Statistics indicate that nearly 25 per cent daily income of urban folks is spent on fuel. This money could be channeled into more pressing needs like education, medicine, housing or other investments if this new technology were to be embraced.

Mattias Goldmann of the NGO Tricorona reports that he was told that several Kenyan tribes have a "strong taboo" against cooking outside.[2]

Dinah Chienjo of Friends of the Old reports, "The people have since time immemorial believed that water was blessed from the beginning and cannot cause any diseases but through the education and by showing them the results of the tested waters and telling them the dangers of the germs on the body, they are beginning to change their drinking habits and looking back many people agree that the many stomach related diseases they have suffered in the past have been a result of the bad river or pond water they have been drinking." See Water pasteurization.

The Kenyan government has banned the use of plastic bags. This makes the use of these as a glazing in a solar cooker impossible. See alternatives to plastic bags in the Glazing article.

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History[]

Food versus charcoal

Each group of items costs the same as does the pile of charcoal shown. By using a CooKit or other solar cooker, people can buy food instead of fuel.

Kenya has been the center of solar cooking activity in East Africa. A number of organizations have endeavored to promote the technology in this country, which has been the commercial hub of the area for several decades. Its capital, Nairobi, is also well served by air, making access to the nation and region readily available, using Nairobi as entry point.

Gemeinshaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GZT) and Trans World Radio

The promotion of solar energy is decades old in Kenya. As far back as 1977, GTZ (the Germany's official technical aid agency) initiated and later abandoned a project in Nairobi. The reason given had to do with the fact that the products used were made in Germany, and were not available in East Africa. Two different Catholic missions in rural Kenya tried solar cooking introduction, but no information is available on the outcomes. As early as 1991, a few solar ovens were exported to Tanzania (through Trans World Radio, perhaps), indicating that the product presented a business opportunity. In 1992, an Earthwatch grant permitted an academic, Dr. Daniel Kammen, to begin a multi-year study of renewable energy technologies, including solar cookers, using volunteers in short-term Earthwatch projects.

Other early efforts included the work of Trans World Radio to promote solar use, within the Girl Guides organization. It was a large project begun under the auspices of the Institute for Cultural Affairs, and also with the effort of a remarkable Peace Corp Volunteer. In the mid-1990s, with assistance of Solar Cookers International (SCI), a national coordinating body for the purpose of sharing information and strengthening progress by collective action around the topic of solar cooking was formed in Nairobi.

Among those early efforts was the activity of Trans World Radio (TWR). TWR work began in the early 1990s. A conference proceedings on Renewable Energy Policies in East Africa, held in 1993, included a paper by TWR coordinator [[Clive Wafukho]] on their work in solar cooking. This organization promoted solar cooking on its radio programs, made and sold box cookers in the Nairobi environs, and worked also in a distant refugee camp. They pioneered solar cooking in Kakuma Refugee Camp, where SCI later established another project. TRW estimated that in the period between 1992 and 2001, they distributed a total of 2,350 cookers in the camp and other localities in Kenya. Logistics and staff support were always problems in the remote areas. In 2000, there was an attempt to solve that problem with the training of refugees as carpenters to be able to build the cookers within the camp itself. TRW reported the production of 400 cookers.

The cookers were large and well suited to the needs of the Sudanese population living in extended family compounds, and required cooking for 10-20 people daily. Trans-World Radio demonstrated remarkable staying power in this difficult to serve area, which had a population that could not afford to buy the expensive box cookers. Therefore, most were given away free, with funds raised for the most part outside of Africa. TWR estimated that two-thirds of the cookers are used regularly.

Barbara Ross, Peace Corps volunteer

In roughly the same time period, U.S.Peace Corps volunteer, Barbara Ross, was assigned to an area in western Kenya. Her responsibilities were varied, but, but aside frome of her assigned tasks, she began to promote of solar cooking. Ms. Ross recruited and trained a number of women where she worked, who then formed themselves into a Housewives' Club, and proceeded in turn to teach others. They made solar box cooker of cardboard, which worked very well in a propitious climate, and solar cooking was on its way in this part of Kenya.

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

The interest of Girl Guides with solar cooking also goes back to roughly the same time period. An early training program was initiated in Kenya by Barby Pulliam, chief promoter of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Little remains of that single demonstration, but it did serve as a foundation for later work that was developed more fully in the late 1990s. An interesting offshoot of that program was a unique program begun by a Girl Guide troop in Kakuma refugee camp. It was run by individuals originally inspired by the work of Ms. Pulliam.

Institute for Cultural Affair

The Institute for Cultural Affairs, (ICA), which had a long term presence in the development community, focused on empowering local communities to define their own needs and plan their own development strategies. Solar cooking was somewhat of a side interest for ICA, though obviously related to its larger mission. To carry out the solar cooking mission, a Swiss volunteer, long interested and skilled in the technology and in training others, joined the Nairobi staff of ICA, for the specific purpose of promoting solar cooking. ICA created a solar box cooker construction course at a local technical school, which ultimately produced all the cookers used by ICA in the communities where they worked. ICA used a classical community development approach in their work. In community meetings, workers persuaded community members to define their needs and existing barriers, which prevent adoption of solar cooking. Fuel shortage was a major problem, and hence solar cooking promotion became an ongoing part of the program in many areas of Kenya. Unfortunately, the solar activity more or less ceased after the very effective volunteer returned to her home.

The agencies described above formed the core of the solar cooking consortium formed in 1994, with some financial aid from SCI. The purpose of the consortium formed around solar cooking was to share information with one another, and to enlist additional person power for promotional activities. SCI provided financial and moral support to the effort for some years. One conference was held in Nairobi, and one in outstate Kenya, with the hope of involving additional people in the effort. Ultimately, the logic of solar power technology dictated that purveyors and promoters of photovoltaic technologies would also be included in the group. Over time, and after finally achieving NGO status in Kenya (not an easy task), the organization came to be dominated by the larger and considerably-more powerful community of business and industrial photovoltaic personnel in Kenya and thus of less value to solar cooking promoters.

Solar Cookers International, Kakuma refugee camp

Shortly after the creation of the consortia arrangement in 1994, SCI accepted an invitation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to embark on a demonstration project in a refugee camp. The story of the project in the Kakuma refugee camp has been recounted elsewhere, therefore recounting here will be brief. The program was carefully planned (insofar as that was possible for an organization, which had not previously worked in an overseas setting) and carefully monitored throughout the project. Kakuma is located in the semi-arid Rift Valley in the far northeast corner of the nation, reachable only by air (or 20 hours on a rickety bus). The camp grew from what seemed a very large 28,000 initially to almost 100,000 at one point, with major changes in the ethnic makeup. Logistical problems were always difficult, as the camp, being so remote, was not easily accessible. Eventually, a Kenyan staff was formed, and the camp work in 2004 (8 long years later), phasing into a refugee-run cooperative with similar purposes to the original SCI project, i.e., a demonstration that people in need can and will adopt solar cooking, save fuel and scarce financial resources, while inflicting less harm on the already fragile environment.

After a successful start at Kakuma camp, Solar Cookers International was invited to initiate a similar project at remote Aisha refugee camp in Ethiopia.

The November 2003 issue of Solar Cooker Review carries to recount of Sunshine does let them eat cake about a woman refugee, Mumina Baraka, who has operated a small-scale bakery in Kakuma, selling in small quantities to make a living, and to provide baked goods for other refugees to purchase. She planned to take her CooKit back to Ethiopia with her when that became feasible.

Somewhat later, a Rotary project in Nairobi was started, but turned out to be less than wholly successful, perhaps showing the difficulty of working in urban areas. The need is considerable, but space, security of food and cooker, etc. are difficult issues in congested poorer urban areas.

During the early years of the Kakuma camp program, the solar cooking program generated considerable interest in refugee circles. All visitors were taken to the training sites and, when advance notice made it possible, given a meal cooked by the sun. SCI's refugee coordinator, a Zairean woman who spoke excellent English, became almost a camp staff person, and was frequently called on to accompany visitors, to translate for them, and to provide demonstrations. One of the visitors in the early years was a UNHCR staff person from the head offices of the UN agency in Geneva. He was integral to beginning the program in Ethiopia. In addition, he discussed the possibility with SCI of working in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, located on the Somali border, to the east and north of Nairobi. That camp, almost entirely Somali in population, was far bigger than Kakuma (with about 100,000 residents) and differently structured, with three separate sub-camps, each located at a distance from the central offices of the organizations which served the camp.

Dadaab refugee camp

The camp administrator in Dadaab was enthusiastic about starting a solar cooking program. Activities directed at energy conservation were well underway in the camp, under the direction of the German technical assistance agency, Deutsche Gemeinshaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), which had been implementing an improved stove program for some years. That program used an interesting model of "work for a stove" in which individuals were given 25 tree seedlings to plant and cultivate at their own homestead. At the end of three months, if they had successfully nurtured the seedlings, the "gardener" was given a voucher to obtain a stove. The devices used were a somewhat larger version of a charcoal stove in use in Kenya for some years, one in which the fire bed was made of ceramic, then encased in a metal shell. The stoves were manufactured in a workshop run by GTZ, and were considerably more efficient than traditional three-stone fires. Trained "animatrices" were assigned to various parts of the camp, where they did extensive workshops showing people how to use the new equipment.

By the time GTZ heard about the solar program, the Dadaab staff had already provided stoves for over 90% of the camp's residents. Both GTZ and SCI agreed that adding solar cookers to the mix would be one more way to cut down on the use of wood fuel, which by that time had been declared unlawful by the Kenya government but was still routinely used. The team of GTZ extension workers, already trained in promotion of wood stoves, were given additional training in solar technologies, thus adding another tool to their fuel-saving repertoire. Eventually, SCI trained additional Dadaab women as trainers, in order to proceed at a faster rate in this huge camp.

Fuelwood wrong turn

An unfortunate event occurred next in Dadaab, one that effectively put an end to the solar cooking project and considerably dampened the improved stove project as well. A delegation of American congresspersons visited the camp. They were told stories of the dangers that women were exposed to in the collection of wood (unlike Kakuma, refugees were allowed to collect wood in the area, even though it was unlawful by order of the government). Dadaab is located only about 15 miles from the border with Somalia; the lawlessness of that country spilled over into the nearby camp. Cars were routinely hijacked, necessitating convoy travel to the campsites. Security was certainly a high concern. Some refugees had been robbed, a few killed, and some women raped and murdered while searching for wood. Naturally, this gained the sympathy of the congresspersons. On return to the US, they managed to add a rider to legislation already in process that provided several million dollars for the purchase of fuelwood for Dadaab.

Both GTZ and SCI were horrified at this well-meaning, but ultimately destructive act, which harmed the fuel-efficient stove program and effectively ended the solar cooking project. Obviously, free fuelwood was a far more attractive option. Two years later, the money for fuel was finished, and the programs promoting alternatives to fuelwood were no longer present in the camp. In the US, SCI attempted to protest, but was unsuccessful in obtaining a hearing on this emotional issue, taken up in good faith by ill-informed U.S. representatives. The solar cooking program in Dadaab program of SCI was closed and has not been restarted. {{SubSection}|Solar Health and Education Project (SHEP)}} A Swiss woman named Alison Curtis, working for an NGO called the Solar Health and Education Project(SHEP), provided a number of workshops in the coastal and other coastal regions of Kenya. The initial group of trainers was made up of teachers and public health workers, in order to encourage the introduction of simple solar technologies into school curricula and thus into everyday life. Both cooking and water pasteurization techniques were demonstrated and taught to participants. A second group of new solar cooks was simply introduced to the concept and practice of solar cooking in a basic training workshop, while a third group of experienced cooks reviewed progress in their respective villages (based on earlier training and promotion).

A second cluster of workshops was held in an area with a pastoral population that had not been previously exposed to solar cooking. The group made their own CooKits from recycled Tetra pack cartons (small boxes used to hold milk, lined with foil, which became the CooKit's shiny surface). After construction of the CooKits, the smaller groups cooked their meals, with the assistance of the trainers. As is common, amazement was the hallmark of the day! They loved the food and could hardly believe it had been cooked with the sun. In good pastoral style, one of the participants told Ms. Curtis "this initiative is like a cow given to us. We, the Masai, consider the cow the greatest gift one can offer. Let's utilize it". After the praise was given, a promotion committee was appointed to create an action plan to spread the technology in their area.

Solar Household Energy

Working on behalf of the NGO in 2002, Solar Household Energy, Inc. (SHE, Inc.]] basically a team of graduate students from the University of Michigan, as a part of an assignment for a class in their MBA program, conducted an extensive market survey of solar cookers in Kenya. The students, supported by a generous donor to the school, conducted both phone and in-person interviews with knowledgeable sources in the U.S., Mexico, and within Kenya itself. The result was a comprehensive review of past and present solar cooking projects in Kenya, their market strategies, successful or failing, along with the views of a large number of opinion leaders from the government, the non-governmental community, and pertinent entrepreneurs and manufacturers. The students brought their knowledge from business school courses to bear on the problem, resulting in a useful document for promotion of solar cooking in the country. The document also served as a model for other related market research endeavors. Sponsored by SHE, Inc., this unusual effort turned out to be not only an excellent learning experience for students but also a quite useful document for different disciplines.

Sunny Solutions (SCI)

Perhaps of most interest, was a different program by SCI. The project, called Sunny Solutions, was established in an area near Lake Victoria. The project was located in Upper and Lower Nyakach divisions, not far from Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya. Local organizations were recruited as partners and an intense awareness campaign involving a range of stakeholders from government, women's groups, churches, etc., was initiated. Initially, 150 women were invited to try the solar cooking at home; they were provided with CooKits, the cardboard cooker used in areas where families have limited resources and were given intensive training and an extended follow-up. In early 2003, a team of research consultants conducted an evaluation exercise to serve as a baseline for later program assessment of accomplishments in terms of fuel savings and health benefits.

In May 2003, fifteen women were recruited as trainers from the original pool of 150 solar cooks and sixteen women's groups. The trainers learned to solar cook all types of foods, carry out sales and home visits, keep sales records, and test and pasteurize water.

In July of 2003, the formal kickoff of the program began with a proper Kenya style community celebration, including solar cooked food, singing and dancing, visits from government officials and community leaders. Banners were strung over the site touting the wonders of the sun. The project was well organized with continuous careful monitoring to assure that the project remained on course as it moved towards its goals.

In 2005, hand-assembled CooKits were introduced in the community and given the nickname used to describe people of Nyakach - OYWA. Hand-assembly meant an increase in the profit margin received by the seller and a lower retail price for each cooking kit (a Cookit, plastic bags, WAPI, and instruction booklet). Those involved in the assembly process also received commissions for each well-assembled unit. By the end of 2006, the sales team had grown to 23 expert women, called Solar Cooker Representatives (SCOREPS); 4000 CooKits were sold; over 95% of the people of Nyakach were aware of the benefits of solar cooking; and Sunny Solutions had grown to include two more sites, Kadibo, a flood-prone area just outside Kisumu, and Kajiado, a drought prone area on the main highway from Nairobi to Tanzania.

Reports of other small-scale programs exist in Kenya; the ones desribed above are the longest lasting and largest known currently.

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The entities listed below are either based in Kenya, or have established solar cooking projects there:

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