Chad

Last edited: 29 September 2020

Les_femmes_réfugiées_du_Darfour_cuisinent_solaire — Les femmes réfugiées du Darfour cuisinent solaire

VIdeo shows hundreds of CooKits in use at the Touloum Refugee Camp in Chad.

The Solar Cooker Project improves lives of Darfur refugees - More than 50,000 people in four Darfur refugee camps in Eastern Chad are using 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.

See other most significant solar cooking projects worldwide.

Events[edit | edit source]

NEW: 2 December 2020 (7 a.m. PST, 10 a.m. EST, 3 p.m. UTC): United Nations Climate Dialogue - Join Solar Cookers International (SCI) for a special event at the United Nations with the Women and Gender Constituency. SCI Executive Director, Caitlyn Hughes, Science Director, Alan Bigelow Ph.D., and Anne Barre (WGC) will be discussing solar cooking's positive impacts on women and the environment. Register for this free event

NEW: Webinar: 4 December 2020 (1:30 p.m. IST, 8:00 a.m. GMT): Sustainability through Solar Energy and Entrepreneurship - Hosted by Jagan Nath University, the International Foundation for Sustainable Development in Africa and Asia, African Asian Studies Promotion Association, and the Society for Sustainable Agriculture & Resources Management will present this webinar. Ten prominent experts in their fields will provide background information and news of the latest sustainability findings. Registration information...

December 2020: SWC50 – The Century of Solar - In 1970 solar research pioneers met at the first International Solar Energy Society (ISES) Conference in Melbourne Australia. ISES is commemorating this Conference with a special 50th Anniversary Conference and Display, called the Solar World Congress at 50 (SWC50). The face-to-face conference, originally scheduled for 2-4 December 2020, will be replaced by a series of eight virtual conferences over the course of the month in December 2020. It will include the same panel sessions that were planned for the in-person planned event. More information...

Have your event listed here by emailing paul@solarcookers.org.

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

News[edit | edit source]

Father Pietro Rusconi demonstrates a parabolic solar cooker in Chad. *Photo credit: Marco Roncalli*

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

See older news...

History[edit | edit source]

Main article: History of solar cooking

Archived articles

Climate and culture[edit | edit source]

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

Resources[edit | edit source]

Possible funders[edit source]

Construction plans in Arabic[edit source]

CooKit
CooKit variation (made from smaller pieces of cardboard)
Minimum Box Cooker
Solar Water Pasteurizer

Project evaluations[edit | edit source]

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

February 2014: Cord refugee camp solar cooker project final evaluation

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.