The Moving Energy Initiative (MEI) is an international consortium seeking to sustainably increase access to energy for displaced people and to improve how energy is dealt with in humanitarian situations. One area that the MEI chose to consider was creating market opportunities for the sales and distribution of non-wood-based fuels in and around the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. This was done by presenting the private sector with the challenge of designing a non-wood cooking concession. Findings from this process are presented in this research paper, alongside a series of case studies that highlight examples of cooking interventions taking place in other displacement contexts. The aim of this paper is to inform practitioners, policymakers and private-sector companies interested in better serving this market with improved cooking solutions. The lessons and recommendations in this paper provide guidance for designing interventions in the future, and for scaling up existing activities to secure refugee access to modern cooking solutions that protect health and the environment.
Authors: Laura Patel and Katie Gross, Energy 4 Impact