USAID

USAID, February 2010

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Introduction to study and tested stoves
The purpose of this study was to obtain information on the potential suitability of a new

Dear Colleagues:

The Environmental Health at USAID knowledge management activity has started a news feed on indoor air pollution at:
http://iapnews.wordpress.com and below are titles of recent posts to the news feed.

- Mexico - Quantification of carbon savings from improved biomass cookstove projects
- South Africa: Arivi Paraffin Stove - Finalist in 2009 INDEX Awards
- Guatemala - Personal child and mother carbon monoxide exposures and kitchen levels
- US to fund $600 million clean energy projects in Asia
- DRC - Mercy Corps stove project
- Bangladesh - Indoor air pollution 4th leading risk factor for diseases
- ADB - New partnership aims to expand access to modern energy to 100m people by 2015
- India - World Bank shows interest in alcohol stove
- Kamapla firm wins environmental award for non-char biomass briquettes

We welcome news about your projects, research and publications as well as suggestions and comments.

Best regards,
Dan

Dan Campbell, Web Manager
Environmental Health at USAID
1611 North Kent St., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22209
Ph: 703-247-8722
Email: dcampbell@usaid.gov
Environmental Health at USAID: http://www.ehproject.org IRC/USAID Sanitation Updates: http://sanitationupdates.wordpress.com
Urban Health Updates: http://urbanhealthupdates.wordpress.com
Cholera Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/cholera-control
Household Water Treatment Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/household-water-treatment

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS, International Research Conference
BEYOND FIREWOOD: Exploring Alternative Fuels and Energy Technologies in Humanitarian Settings
December 11-12, 2008 in New Delhi, India
http://www.fuelnetwork.org/conference

ABSTRACTS WILL BE RECEIVED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

Background
The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children is an advocacy and expert resource organization working on behalf of refugee and displaced women, children and adolescents around the world. The Women’s Commission, based in New York, conducts research, documents findings, provides technical assistance and undertakes advocacy. One key focus of the Women’s Commission’s work since 2005 has been on ensuring safe access by displaced women and girls to appropriate cooking fuel.

As part of its Fuel and Firewood Initiative, the Women’s Commission will be hosting the first-ever major international research conference on firewood and alternative cooking fuels and energy technologies in humanitarian settings on December 11-12, 2008 in New Delhi, India.

The conference will bring together developers, practitioners and users of alternative fuels, energy technologies and physical protection strategies appropriate for use in humanitarian settings from around the world. The aim is to share experiences and create new linkages among researchers and practitioners, and build an empirical basis for fuel-related interventions in humanitarian settings. In addition, the conference will link technical experts with humanitarian staff in sites and regions that are urgently in need of such interventions.

The Women’s Commission’s conference steering committee is now soliciting abstracts for presentation at this conference. Abstracts will be selected from submissions from developers, implementers and/or users/beneficiaries of such interventions in the following three categories:

1. Case studies, evaluations and/or documented research on household energy interventions from or applicable to humanitarian settings. This category includes

o Improved stoves/cookers and/or other cooking technologies;
o Alternative cooking fuels or energy sources including but not limited to: solar energy, ethanol, liquefied petroleum gas, biomass briquettes/pellets and biogas;
o New and/or underutilized household energy interventions applicable to use in humanitarian settings that could benefit from examination by a diverse audience.

2. Case studies, evaluations and/or documented research on protection, environment, food and/or health and safety interventions related to the collection, provision or use of household energy in humanitarian settings, particularly those that have measured the impact of a household energy related intervention on the health/safety of women and girls. This category includes:

o Direct provision of fuel/cooking technologies to beneficiaries;
o Physical protection strategies for firewood/fuel collectors, including patrols, escorts, use of peacekeeping forces, etc.;
o Environmental programs/interventions designed to reduce reliance on wood/biomass as a primary source of cooking fuel and/or to increase the availability of such materials through reforestation, alternative construction materials, etc.;
o Alternative fuels/cooking technologies/shelter designs, etc. implemented to reduce the incidence of indoor air pollution and/or of fires/burns caused by cooking fuels.

3. Case studies and/or evaluations of fuel-related livelihoods interventions. This category includes:

o Projects implemented to provide a substitute to fuelwood-intensive livelihoods activities such as brick-making, charcoal-making, etc.;
o Projects implemented to provide alternatives to/reduce reliance on the sale of firewood or fuel rations for income-generation purposes.

In addition, individuals or agencies with specific technologies available for demonstration are invited to apply for a demonstration slot. Procedures for doing so are the same as for abstracts.

All submissions must be limited to 400 words or less and must be submitted in English via the online abstract submission Web site www.fuelnetwork.org/conference. Submissions received in any other manner will not be considered. All information requested on the submission Web site must be provided and submitted with your abstract before your abstract will be considered. If an applicant wishes to submit an abstract based on an already-published paper, it will be the responsibility of the applicant to obtain all necessary permissions in advance of the conference.

Charcoal Use and Technology in Rwanda and Tanzania
Tom Miles March 9, 2008

Small-scale Torrefaction for Developing Countries
Gerald Van Koeverden, March 08, 2008

Fuel Efficient Stove Programs in IDP Settings - Summary Evaluation Report, Darfur
Academy for Educational Development for USAID, December 2008

1. INTRODUCTION: EVALUATION OBJECTIVES
Around the world, conflict and natural disasters have displaced millions of people. Displaced populations fleeing to settlement camps and seeking safety in host villages often put great stress on natural resources, leading to environmental degradation and conflict with local populations. One of the greatest needs of people affected by crisis, be they displaced, settled, or on the move, is firewood or some other type of fuel to cook their food, heat their homes, and treat water for drinking and food preparation. The risks endured (especially by women and children) collecting scarce wood resources constitute some of the most challenging and serious protection concerns both in IDP camps and in villages where conflict over resources is high.

Fuel Efficient Stove Programs in IDP Settings - Summary Evaluation Report, Uganda
Academy for Educational Development for USAID, September 2007

Introduction: Evaluation Objectives

Around the world, conflict and natural disasters have displaced millions of people. Displaced populations fleeing to settlement camps and seeking safety in host villages often put great stress on natural resources, leading to environmental degradation and conflict with local populations. One of the greatest needs of all people affected by crisis, be they displaced, settled or on the move, is firewood or other types of fuel to heat their homes, cook their food, and treat water for drinking and food preparation. The risks endured (especially by women and children) collecting sometimes scarce wood resources constitute some of the most challenging and serious protection concerns both in IDP camps and in villages where the conflict over resources is high.

USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has been one of the key US Government funders of humanitarian agencies implementing fuel-efficient stove (FES) programs in IDP settings. The FES programs are intended to help the agencies accomplish various goals, such as improve food security or decrease deforestation, by reducing fuel consumption. However, the large number of implementers, their varying motives and degrees of expertise, and differing conditions within and among IDP communities have made it difficult for OFDA to determine the relative efficacy of the FES interventions and provide guidelines for USAID-funded entities working in IDP settings.

Therefore, OFDA enlisted the assistance of the USAID Energy Team to undertake a multi-phase evaluation in order to derive “best practices” for future FES interventions. While the primary purpose of this evaluation is to provide guidance to USAID-funded organizations, USAID hopes to inform the broader humanitarian community by sharing the results of the evaluation with them as well. Eventually, the best practices will be developed into a series of recommendations and toolkits for use by NGOs, donors, and other groups operating FES programs in IDP settings.

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