Promotion of Household Clean Energy Access through Women Entrepreneurship in Cameroon
Climate change impacts and unsustainable fuel wood collection are increasingly threatening the biodiversity in the Sub-Saharan Africa, which is the fundamental source of livelihoods for millions of people. Additionally increased levels of indoor air pollution and black carbon emissions are threatening the life and livelihoods of people particularly women and children as well as accelerate the rate of global warming. Many research studies have proven that wide adoption of improved and clean cook stoves and clean solar lighting can substantially reduce the threat to women’s health, livelihood and the environment. Though many countries in the Sub-Saharan African region has witnessed substantial efforts in modernizing small scale biomass energy systems in the last two decades, not much improvement materialized in the overall energy access sit
uation of vast sections of the people. Recent research and consultations about the clean energy access issues in Cameroon exhibited very high level of dependency on biomass for cooking and Kerosene for lighting. Unfortunately majority of the biomass is not derived from bona fide sources. Significantly higher level of spending for buying charcoal and kerosene in Cameroon confirms that market based programmes for “clean and improved cook stoves and lighting” have very high potential if implemented strategically.
To suitably address this, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), proposes to partner with Amom Foundation, a non-governmental organization based in Cameroon aim to unlock the potentials of a large number of women’s groups in the country to take concerted action against the impacts of climate change at the local level as well as to increase the energy access scenario across the country. The proposed partnership strongly believes that, this project will help many women groups and women entrepreneurs to play major role in the clean energy access supply chain. Through strategic linkages, capacity building and training women will promote, adapt and benefit from clean energy technologies through commercially viable business models and contribute to the reduction in black carbon emissions. The whole process will help to generate a lot new techno-social data which will form as evidence base for integrating women into the clean energy access value chain in the country.
TERI, with its three decades of experiences in all the facets of clean energy access in Asia and Africa along with Amom Foundation proposes who possess a lot of experience working with children and women’s groups plan to work together in solving the problem. This proposed partnership will identify and strengthen selected women entrepreneurs in Cameroon by directly linking them in commercially viable business models, marketing and distribution supply chain of clean energy technology products and services. Building on TERI’s technologies and vibrant “South – South cooperation” process, it will strengthen the customization, local fabrication and maintenance of cook stoves, lighting products and services. This will be done through Amom Foundation’s existing work based in Cameroon. Systematic and concerted efforts towards awareness creation, training, capacity building, and business plan development and implementation, ensuring viable finances, harmonizing approach with other on-going activities and dissemination will result in enhanced participation and profitability for partnering women’s groups in the whole process. Institutional strengthening and commercially viable business approaches would enhance the sustainability of the whole initiatives at the end of the project period.
About TERI
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is an autonomous, not-for-profit research institute, established in the year 1974. TERI is a unique developing country institution, deeply committed to every aspect of sustainable development. All activities in TERI move from formulating local- and national-level strategies to developing global solutions for critical energy and environment issues. TERI combines knowledge and research with experience to provide workable solutions, and a platform for various segments of societies, both national and international, to address the challenges in the modern quest for sustainable development. It is with this purpose that TERI has established regional centers in Bangalore, Goa, and Guwahati, and a presence in Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. It has also set up affiliate institutes: TERI-NA in Washington, DC, the US, and TERI-Europe in Netherlands. TERI possesses rich and varied experience in the field of energy efficiency through a concerted programme of research, consultancy, and training and information dissemination.
About Amom Foundation
Amom Foundation is an international non-profit organisation with operations mainly in Cameroon and USA. The organization was founded in 2006 with vision to fight poverty through sustainable projects in education, healthcare and environment and mission to economically empower the people of Cameroon to meet with their daily challenges that require urgent intervention, provide solutions and measurable results. Through its programs, we provided and facilitate access to education and other related services to over 20,000 children mainly girls and under-privileged children in Cameroon with the aim to create employability and improve entrepreneurial skills. The projects have been carried out in collaboration with existing school, health care system, and local communities to help evaluate, plan and implement solutions to problems which has decreased school dropout rates and increased accessibility to basic education of children from poor backgrounds and improve women empowerment through education. The programs carried out focus on:
- Reduction in the dropout rate of girls in Grade 9 by 5% contributing to their ability to earn more in the work place.
- Change in aspiration of 50% of the girls from early marriage to work
- Increased enrollment of girls by 5% in 264 schools
- Reduce the absence of young women entrepreneur role model in the society by providing graphic novels or TV programs.
- Design-driven skills projects are incorporated in the curriculum to teach entrepreneurial skills to 7,863 young and adolescent girls in 264 Schools in 24 districts of North West Region, Cameroon (girls who are most at risk from dropping out of school).
- Entrepreneur programs of women empowerment by building local capacity.
The organization aims at fabricating and supplying environmentally healthy products to mainly poor customers, through Amom Green Energy, a department within Amom Foundation that plans to rely on an innovative distribution and after sales care system as well as microfinance to create demand for their products through a trustworthy and a well-built system. As a result, it will be able to improve on the living conditions as well as have a positive environmental impact in thousands of villages and also to create jobs through the construction of solar lamps and improved cooking stoves. It will go a long way in empowering the rural population and improving on their livelihood likewise highly encouraging the participation of women in it all.
Amom Foundation’s system is reputed for its efficiency in carrying out low cost and high impact projects due to its ground capacity and resources, thus making the organization ready to adopt and implement renewable energy in partnership with TERI.
NB: Amom Foundation will soon be called Amom Foundation
