Monique’s Story | Sustainable Energy and Climate Justice
SAA supported 10 refugee women in Nakivale Refugee Settlement with cook stoves to promote the use of energy efficient cook stoves given the limited access to fuel in the settlement.
26-year-old Monique mother of two and a refugee from Rwanda was among the beneficiaries who testify that having a cookstove has reduced the amount of effort in terms of time and energy she puts into preparing meals.
‘’My name is Monique Makengo. Through the trainings and support from Shared Action Africa, I saved up UGX 800,000 which I used to buy the energy saving stove. I was tired of using firewood for cooking and it was becoming scarce with the high rate of cutting of trees in the settlement. I used to walk long distances (about 3 Kms) to get firewood in that I had to close my shop; this made me lose out on income during this time. In addition, I had no one to leave my three young children with hence I had to request neighbors to keep them whenever I went to get firewood. so that I can stop using firewood for cooking. I also had to wake up in very early in the morning at times which was uncomfortable and very tiring.
With the cook stove, I don’t have to go through all the trouble since I use one bag of saw dust. I also spend less i.e. from UGX 88,000 on fuel to UGX 10,000 on saw dust per month. In addition, the cook stove is less straining in lighting up. I use less time to prepare meals from 4.5 hours to at least 3 hours a day. I use this time for my business and spending time with my saving group as we learn different things. I also get to boil our drinking water which was not the case before since I was sparing the firewood. The cook stove is also smoke free which makes the cooking experience a delight. There is such a high demand for these stoves in my community especially among the women due to their health benefits as well as their cost effectiveness.
Though it may seem like a small item, this cook stove has changed my life in so many ways. I am grateful to Shared Action Africa for this support.”