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Last edited: 30 July 2024
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 R20's East Africa Program Manager, Jini Sebakunzi, was at the inauguration ceremony for the new bakery enterprise in November, 2014. - Journal Télévisé Afrique (BURUNDI)]]
The solar bakery project in Burundi is up and running! - R20's East Africa Program Manager, Jini Sebakunzi, was at the inauguration ceremony for the new bakery in in January 2015 in Gitega, Burundi this past November. The solar oven being used is the Villager Sun Oven, manufactured by US-based company Sun Ovens International. Each oven is capable of baking hundreds of loaves of bread each day. Environmentally speaking, the oven allows the users to save over 150 tons of firewood each year, which results in the reduction of around 277 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. In addition, by replacing the firewood with solar energy, the ovens will protect the bakers from inhaling harmful smoke. The twelve women trained to operate the new solar oven are motivated to see the new enterprise become integrated with the community, and also to be able benefit economically for their efforts. Read more: R20 and local partner, CIRID, host inauguration ceremony of solar bakery project in Gitega, Burund.
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Events[]
Featured international events[]
- NEW: 11-22 November 2024 (Baku, Azerbaijan ): COP29 - The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly known as COP29, will be the 29th United Nations Climate Change conference to be held at Baku Stadium. More information...
- 12-14 March 2025 (Bridgetown, Barbados): Sustainable Energy for All Global Forum - Building on Prime Minister Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative for the reform of development finance, the Forum will address the challenge of how we can mobilize sufficient finance on the right terms to meet global goals, especially for the most underserved communities, countries and regions – such as Small Island Developing States. The event wil be co-hosted by Sustainable Energy for All and the Government of Barbados, led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. Project site visits will take place Friday, 14 March. More information...
Requests for proposal[]
- The deadline for receipt of abstracts is 15th December 2024 - Advances in Solar Thermal Food Processing (CONSOLFOOD2025) is being planned for the 5th, 6th and 7th of May, 2025 in Marseille, France. The gathering expects to attract, once again, top experts from all over the world to present and discuss topics related to advances in solar food processing and solar cooking. An exhibition of solar cookers will be available for viewing during the conference at the nearby the solar restaurant Le Présage. The solar restaurant, along with the demonstration cookers, will produce a solar lunch. The whole conference program will be delivered in hybrid format, so those who register, but are not present at Marseille, will be able to participate online. Your abstracts should be sent via email to Celestino Ruivo at cruivo@ualg.pt in .doc, .docx, or pdf format. You should limit your abstract to 400 words, and follow these guidelines. All abstracts will be reviewed and assessed by members of the scientific committee. The organizing committee will inform each author whether their submitted abstract has been accepted. The committee encourages all authors to write an optional full length paper for inclusion in our conference proceedings. Successful authors should pre-record their presentations, using Powerpoint, or similar software. They will be invited to submit either a) a short presentation, of about 7 minutes duration, or b) a longer presentation, of about 25 minutes to cruivo@ualg.pt by 30th March 2025. The expected conference fee is 200 euros before 1st April 2025. Interested people facing financial difficulties should contact the organizing committee.
- See also: Global Calendar of Events and past events in Burundi
News[]
- July 2024: Bringing solar cooking to vocational schools - An exhibition for the use solar radiation took place at the University of Technology in Gitega, Burundi on 25/7/2024. This technology was brought by an organization in the country of Spain called #Vet_to_stop deforestation. Learning these skills will be taught at three schools, the Rusi Vocational School, Gitaba Vocational School, and Christ Roi Vocational School in Gitega Province. Dieudonné Rukundo Nimubona, a Burundian who lives in Spain and is part of a group that came from that country to show and teach this technique, says that the reason they bring solar cooking technology is that there is no wood left in Burundi. Even now, the avocado and mango trees are being cut down to produce charcoal and firewood.
Image credit: #Vet_to_stop deforestation
- April 2017: Solar bakery employs eight people and produces 500 loaves a day - With funding from the Energy and Environment Partnership of Southern & East Africa (EEP S&EA) R20 and its local partner implemented a solar bakery project in Gitega. The results to date are: 1) A solar bakery with the capacity to produce up to 500 loaves of bread per day; 2) Employment for 8 local women A bakery business plan; and 3) A draft Integrated Climate Plan for Gitega City. More information...
Regions 20 initiates second phase of solar bakery project in Burundi
- March 2014: R20 initiates second phase of solar bakery project in Burundi - The second phase of the project began with a stakeholder consultation workshop where 32 participants (women bakers, local officials) gathered to discuss the potential benefits of having a solar bakery as well as concerns they may have. The workshop was a success, and the women bakers expressed their gratefulness to R20 and CIRID for helping to start this project that will reduce the amount of smoke they inhale as much less wood will be needed to bake. The solar bakery project will provide a solar-powered oven to a small bakery in Gitega, Burundi, that employs women that have been marginalized by their communities. More information... Update: The deadline has been extended to submit proposals from tenders interested in providing three institutional solar cookers. Submittal information provided in January update.
- January 2014: International aid organization seeks solar cookers for bakery in Burundi - The global relief organization R20-Regions of Climate Action has organized a solar bakery project in Rutegama, Burundi. Currently the bakery, in operation since 2006, has relied on wood-fired ovens, with the wood needing to be gathered by the women working at the bakery. They are soliciting proposals from tenders interested in providing three institutional solar ovens required to convert the bakery to solar. The ovens must be limited to three meters(a little under 10 ft.) in height, and if carried, weighing no more than 10 kg (22 lbs.). Unfortunately proposals need to be submitted by January 31, 2014. Interested parties will find more information here: Invitation to Tender For Solar Bakery Project, Burundi. The scale of the project may be rather small, but the funding and implementation is coming from world leaders in the field of economic and environmental relief.
- July, 2009: Ntibagendeza Anastasie, reports: The Free Methodist Church opened the Solar Cooking Ministry office. An action plan was created to organize three seminars. At the seminars, seventeen various foods were cooked, as well as, water purification demonstrated. Other seminars are to be held in Bujumbura, the Muyebe district, and the Muyange district.
History[]
- Main article: History of solar cooking
Archived articles
Climate and culture[]
Burundi has 6 months of abundant rain. Firewood resources are in the process of being depleted. (Source: Juan Urrutia Sanz, 2010-Feb-15)
See also
- The climate of Burundi - Wikipedia
- Burundi Energy Situation - Energypedia
- Discussion of eastern Africa's suitability for solar cooking
- Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables
Resources[]
Possible funding[]
Reports[]
Articles in the media[]
- January 2015: R20 and local partner, CIRID, host inauguration ceremony of solar bakery project in Gitega, Burundi
Audio and Video[]
- January 2015:
Contacts[]
The entities listed below are either based in Burundi, or have initiated solar cooking projects there:
SCI Associates[]
- Main article: Solar Cookers International Association