Using Solar Power in Rural Communities in Nyakach Region to help Mitigate climate Change (A Project to Support Nyakach Women Group)

i. To determine and develop appropriate climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in forestry, other land uses, ecosystems and biodiversity management; ii. To develop and undertake capacity building, dissemination and strategic interventions for adaptation and mitigation to climate change; iii. To assess climate change impacts on and vulnerability of ecosystem services and livelihoods under Kyoto protocol; iv. Providing alternative clean energy technologies to replace the traditional energy practices and open fires for lighting thus improving the health and standards of living of the project community. v. Ease the burden of women and girls who are tasked with the roles of cooking for the families in smoky huts. vi. Realize household energy savings by replacing wood cooking stoves and expensive kerosene for lighting with free solar energy. vii. To contribute to curbing of climate change by introducing clean energy technologies for daily use. Description of project activity • The project consists of distributing 1,500 solar cookers to households in 31 villages in the rural communities in Nyakach region. The region is one of the poorest in Kenya with a total approximate population of 500,000 inhabitants, and the area is experiencing severe de-afforestation. There is little access to firewood, so the households use available wood from the existing forests as an energy source. With the solar cookers distributed within the project the firewood use in cooking and water-boiling can be replaced with solar energy, and thus the greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal use can be reduced. The solar cookers provide the rural residents a clean, economical and convenient way of daily cooking and water-boiling. • The capacity of one solar cooker, two solar lamps and a solar flashlight is 654.5 Watts, so the capacity of the whole project amounts is huge. The solar cookers, solar PVC panel, solar lamps and solar flashlight to families in rural Nyakach will be supplied to RHD by a contracted company; either a local company or any international company with the lowest bid, bought and then distributed to the rural villages by a team of women from Nyakach Women Group in close coordination with RHD supervising team. The solar cookers, solar PVC panel, solar lamps and solar flashlight to families will be distributed free of charge, because the average rural household cannot afford to buy one. A decent solar cooker transported and installed is worth approx. 20 % of a rural household's yearly income in the region. Within the project, a repair spot will also be set up in the villages, where the residents can repair their cookers without costs, or get a replacement. Project Main activities: • Preparing instruction manuals, disseminating material and a regional cookbook associated with building and handling family solar ovens. • Developing workshops for residents of the selected communities on building family solar ovens. • Developing workshops for local authorities on the environmental benefits of using clean energies, and instructions for building family solar ovens. • Conducting campaigns in the selected communities to disseminate materials associated with building family solar ovens. • Develop and Undertake Human Capacity Building to Address Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change • Develop/Rehabilitate Physical Infrastructure to Address Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change • Develop and Undertake Strategic Intervention for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation • Build 1,500 solar ovens, solar PVC panel, two solar lamps and a solar flashlight to families in rural communities in Nyakach region. • Give a cookbook to use with a solar oven to each family participating in the project. • Promote the building of more solar ovens in the same communities, through information campaigns. • Promote assistance from local governments to projects aimed at conserving resources and reducing emissions, through six informative, practical workshops held in community levels. • Enhanced understanding about climate change and its impacts under RHD initiatives • Increased awareness of the risks and opportunities associated with climate variability and change under RHD initiatives • Enhanced understanding of vulnerability of ecosystems to climate change • Adaptation and mitigation strategies to manage the impacts of climate change using the RHD initiatives • Enhanced skills and knowledge on climate change among stakeholders for improved natural resource management. • Information needs among stakeholders on climate change identified • Provide sustainable employment opportunities for women. • The solar oven technology also reduces demand for fuel wood and the associated wood transportation emissions.