Chad

Last edited: 12 September 2025

Video shows hundreds of CooKits in use at the Touloum Refugee Camp in Chad. More than 50,000 people in four Darfur refugee camps in Eastern Chad have used locally made solar CooKits designed by Solar Cookers International. The project is run by Tchad Solaire and by the British NGO CORD. Funding has been provided by Jewish World Watch and the Kozon Foundation. The project has improved the safety and survival of the women in the refugee camps. Previously, they were faced with dangerous and arduous trips outside the camps to collect scarce firewood. Two of the most extensive projects are at the Touloum Refugee Camp and the Iridimi Refugee Camp.

Events[]

See also: Global Calendar of Events and past events in Chad

October 2025: Solar Cookers in Chad site visit update - The Fair Climate Fund recently distributed 6,000 Haines Solar Cookers (HSC) for Sudanese refugee households in Iridimi and Touloum camps (Eastern Chad, neighboring Darfour). The solar panel cookers are manually assembled by the local women in the camps, and they significantly reduce the women’s reliance on firewood collection or purchase, while offering a safer and healthier alternative for cooking. During the site visit, a Kitchen Performance Test (KPT) was conducted to assess wood fuel savings.Preliminary results indicate a 50% reduction in wood fuel consumption. Read about the update and see the photographs: Solar Cookers in Chad October 2025, Fair Climate Fund

September 2025: Update- Haines Solar Cookers arrive in Chad! - The 40-foot container with materials to make 6,000 Haines Pop Open Solar Cookers as it arrived in Iribe, near its final destination in Touloum Refugee Camp in Chad.

February 2025: Haines Solar Cookers LLC Selected to Provide 6,000 Solar Cookers to Darfur Refugees - The new Haines Pop Open Solar Cookers, which harness concentrated sunlight to cook food, will be distributed in Touloum Refugee Camp in Eastern Chad. Conditions there are harsh, and resources are scarce. The project is managed by FairClimateFund, a Netherlands-based social enterprise with extensive experience in implementing clean cooking programs that generate carbon credits. “We are proud to be part of this important initiative that not only provides refugees with a cleaner, healthier way to cook but also supports broader climate goals,” said Roger Haines, President and Founder of Haines Solar Cookers. “We hope to expand this project to other camps in Chad with FairClimateFund. The project will make a tangible impact in the lives of refugees while also contributing to climate mitigation through the generation of carbon credits.” Read more...

Photo credit: Haines Solar Cookers

November 2017: Jesuit inventor frees women from the bondage of fire - Through solar kitchens and "foyer améliorés", in Chad the father Pietro Rusconi values a renewable energy at zero cost and prevents women and mothers "break their backs in the Savannah to collect firewood and shrubs" or "buy expensive coal or oil". Read more... - (English version)

January 2015: Scholarly paper documents the available sunshine in the Sahel region of Africa - Authors, Beth Newton, Sophie Cowie, Derk Rijks, Jamie Banks, Helen Brindley, and John H. Marsham have published a well-documented analysis of the potential sunshine available for solar cooking in the Sahel region, particularly in northern Chad where a number of Sudanese refugee camps are located. TchadSolaire has been training both refugees and the indigenous population to solar cook in the region since 2005. Even along river population centers where clouds tend to form, solar cooking is possible for over 330 days a year. Read more: Solar Cooking in the Sahel - NOWCAST

Main article: History of solar cooking

Archived articles

January 2015: Scholarly paper documents the available sunshine in the Sahel region of Africa - Authors, Beth Newton, Sophie Cowie, Derk Rijks, Jamie Banks, Helen Brindley, and John h. Marsham have published a well-documented analysis of the potential sunshine available for solar cooking in the Sahel region, particularly in northern Chad where a number of Sudanese refugee camps are located. TchadSolaire has been training both refugees and the indigenous population to solar cook in the region since 2005. Even along river population centers where clouds tend to form, solar cooking is possible for over 330 days a year. Read more: Solar Cooking in the Sahel - NOWCAST

See also

January 2015 (Chad): Evaluation for Jewish World Watch Tchad Solaire Solar Cooker Project Touloum and Iridimi Refugee Camps - Patricia McArdle

September 2014: Solar Cooking in the Sahel Region of Northern Africa - NOWCAST

November 2009: TchadSolaire Project Evaluation, Touloum Refugee Camp, Chad - Final Report - Evaluation of CooKit distribution in the Touloum Refugee Camp in Chad by TchadSolaire with notes about successful program elements and recommendations for technological improvements.

October 2007: Solar Cooker Project Iridimi, Refugee Camp, Chad - Final Evaluation - Observations from a five day evaluation of solar cooker use in the Iridimi Refugee Camp. Evaluation based on interviews with 121 refugees and includes recommendations for improving solar cooker use in the camp.