This report reviews outcomes of a participatory workshop on fuel efficient stoves (FES) for 30 displaced women from three camps in the el Fasher-area of North Darfur. Participants discussed the use and impact of the FES as well as made comparisons between the traditional 3-stone fire and the FES. Part II, directed towards the service providers, discusses the key messages and recommendations on replication, design changes, improving livelihoods and promoting alternative fuels.

A field practitioner gives practical guidance on testing fuel efficiency.

This report summarizes current literature focusing on the link between women’s roles in fuel provision and their vulnerability to GBV. It reviews relevant international guidelines and principles on fuel provision and GBV, identifying gaps in the policy and practice of fuel provision and GBV prevention. The article makes recommendations on how to better develop firewood conservation protocols, increase use of policing strategies, use capacity building as a response strategy, and foster collaboration between local research, community organizations and national institutions.

This study tested three different fuel-efficient stove (FES) designs in Darfur IDP camps as well as the FES that was being promoted in the camps. Surveys were conducted on household parameters such as family size, food, fuel, cooking habits and expenditures on fuel. Descriptions of traditional dishes and cooking tools and techniques are detailed for better understanding of actual cooking situations in Darfur, allowing for informed and suitable improved stove modifications. The study found that the metal Tara stove performed best of the stoves tested and recommended the implementation of the Tara with appropriate improvements.

The article describes the design and testing of the first version of the Berkeley Darfur Stove, an improved stove based off another fuel-efficient metal stove called the Tara. Alterations were made to the original design to improve performance in windy conditions and stability during vigorous stirring typical of food preparation in Darfur. Additionally, a cooking test protocol was designed to better simulate cooking situations in Darfur during stove testing. Step-by-step directions to implement the Darfur Cooking Test Protocol and detailed descriptions and diagrams of stove modifications are included, along with fuelwood efficiency data. 

In times of crisis, the need to generate income may force women and children to engage in activities of heightened risk to support their families. In particular, CHF found that women and girls participating in the collection and sale of firewood in Darfur were at increased risk of gender-based violence.  Based on their experience in Darfur implementing alternative income-generating activities (IGAs), CHF’s manual introduces and discusses general concepts and tools for strengthening basic business skills of participants and community structures around IGAs. The manual uses case studies to facilitate learning and decision-making regarding the development of a sustainable IGA.  It is designed for trainers and practitioners working in the field on community development, especially in areas transitioning from conflict to post-conflict environments.

Biomass Briquetting in Sudan: A Feasibility Study by the Women's Refugee Commission for the US Agency for International Development.

In recent years the use of biomass as a source of energy became of great interest world-wide because of its environmental advantages. The use of biomass for energy production, biofuels, has been increasingly proposed as a substitute for fossil fuels. Biomass can also offer an immediate solution for the reduction of the CO2 content in the atmosphere. It has three other main advantages: firstly its availability can be nearly unlimited, secondly it is locally produced and thirdly the fact that it can be used essentially without damage to the environment. In addition to its positive global effect by comparison with other sources of energy, it presents no risk of major accidents, as nuclear and oil energy do.

In recent years, the introduction of small-scale low pressure briquetting is spreading in Africa, particularly in East Africa. However, the level of production is so low that anticipated impacts are negligible.