Fuel-Efficient Stoves are Enhancing Cooking Safety, Promoting Peace and Saving the Environment

Doolow, Somalia – Saadia has lived with unimaginable grief since her three-year-old daughter tragically fell into an open cooking fire earlier this year. The pain of the loss was all too familiar having lost another daughter to illness just three years ago.

Saadia is among thousands of people who reside in Ladan, one of the many camps for internally displacement persons in Somalia.

Doolow, where Ladan is located, has become a refuge for thousands of Somalis escaping the brutal impacts of climate change related events, such as droughts and floods. Ladan is home to over 5,000 vulnerable families who depend on life-saving humanitarian assistance.

The heavy dependence on firewood takes a toll on the residents of Ladan, especially the women who tirelessly tend to open fires, exposing themselves and their children to harmful smoke and the risk of contracting respiratory diseases.  

"Firewood has become very scarce, we go all the way to Geed-Wayne to collect it using donkey carts often staying overnight,” said Iskow Abdirahman, a Ladan resident, highlighting the challenges faced in sourcing fuel.

Mohamed, another Ladan resident adds that he usually needs to gather enough firewood to sustain his family for two weeks to avoid making multiple trips.

These trips come with risks, as disputes over dwindling resources frequently arise between the people from Ladan, residents of Geed-Wayne, and neighbouring communities, further compounding their hardships.

The need for women to venture far from the displacement site to gather firewood means that women have to walk long distances with the risk of getting exposed to Gender-based violence (GBV) and harassment. This also robs them of precious time that they could be spending caring for their children, generating income or enjoying leisure activities.

In the face of these daunting challenges, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has introduced fuel-efficient stoves, which are an alternative to the traditional cooking stoves. These stoves offer a cleaner, safer and a more sustainable way of cooking, emitting minimal smoke and reducing the demand for excessive use of firewood.

IOM has also empowered the Ladan community to construct these stoves using locally available materials like mudbricks, soil, and water, making them a cost-effective solution. The stoves are easy to make, maintain, and repair, making them more durable in nature.

Saadia, along with 13 other volunteers, underwent a three-day training to build these stoves "I understand the need for safer cooking options. Taking part in this initiative is a tribute to my daughter and I hope to spare other families the pain of losing a child. "

Ubah Abdi, another trainee shared her experience, stating "We were provided with clay soil to make mud bricks. Once these bricks dried, we skillfully molded and built the stove, and it was ready to use. I plan to teach other people on how to make these stoves."

The impact of these stoves goes beyond safety. "Our children are now protected from accidents like falling into the open fires, people are spared from having smoke-related eye problems," added Mohamed.

Furthermore, Ladan residents can already see a decrease in tensions with their neighbouring communities over depleted forest resources.

With the unwavering dedication and support of individuals like Saadia, Ubah and other community members, IOM has already built fuel-efficient stoves for 500 families, mitigating the risk of campfires, environmental degradation, deforestation and minimizing harmful emissions. IOM plans to roll out the second phase of the stoves targeting 500 more families in other parts of Doolow.

IOM’s fuel-efficient stoves initiative has been made possible with funding from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).

Text by Ismail Salad Osman, Senior Media and Communications Assistant, IOM Somalia: smsom-media@iom.int