Efficient And Clean Cooking For Households In Somalia

BURN Manufacturing`s project in Somalia improves the lives of some of the world`s most vulnerable people. More than 90% of the population still relies on biomass fuels for cooking, driving particularly high deforestation rates in an already arid landscape. In addition, nearly 3 in 4 people live below the poverty line. Local charcoal production is unsustainable and very expensive. Using an inefficient traditional stove costs Somalian families as much as $50/month, and excess smoke creates health problems. A study done by the Clean Cooking Alliance shows that cooking with an open fire causes over 3 million premature deaths each year.

This project helps families transition to BURN`s JIKOKOA, the world`s most fuel-efficient biomass stove. The JIKOKOA, reduces charcoal consumption by 64% - slowing deforestation and saving Somalian families $130 million to date. It also reduces indoor air pollution by 65%, with families reporting that they get ill less often. These health benefits, tied with fuel and time savings, help reduce gender inequities, improve lives, and save forests.

BURN has been working in Somalia since 2016, and remains the only carbon project in the region. This is particularly important because the area struggles to attract foreign investment, despite high levels of need. Clean cooking an important catalyst in the sustainable, equitable development of the region, while reducing deforestation, smoke inhalation, and improving the lives of over 2 million people.

Project impacts and benefits:
Since 2016, BURN manufacuting`s work in Somalia has had the following impacts:

350k stoves distributed
2 million lives impacted
1.6 million tons of wood saved
3 million tons of CO2 reduced
This project meets the following SDGs:

Climate action - The Jikokoa lowers fuel consumption by 64%, thus limiting CO2 and non-CO2 emissions from cooking. Since 2016, this project has avoided 3M tons of CO2 from being emitted. In addition, reducing demand for biomass helps slow deforestation.

No Poverty - In Kenya, BURN`s Jikokoa cookstove has been independently verified by a joint RCT study done by the University of Chicago and UC Berkley as being the single best investment a family can make. Due to the extremely high efficiency of the product, Kenyan families save $120 on fuel per year, equating to a yearly IRR of 296%. Charcoal is more expensive in Somalia than in Kenya, with the Jikokoa presenting big savings for families.

Ensure healthy lives - The Clean Cooking Alliance estimates that smoke inhalation from cooking causes 3 million premature deaths every year. BURN`s Jikokoas has been shown to reduce indoor air pollution by 65%. This has led to a self-reported .56 standard deviation improvement in overall health from an independent RCT of families in Kenya.

Affordable and clean energy - Through the reduction in fuel required to cook, Jikokoa users save money every week, which is often reinvested in education. This project in Somalia has saved families $130 million to date.

Decent work and economic growth - BURN manufacturing is the world`s only vertically integrated improved cookstove company. All design, engineering, and manufacturing takes place in our solar-powered facilities in Kenya. Since launching, we have created over 1,500 local jobs, and are building distribution teams across Africa.