SCI and Root of Generations Highlight Gender Perspectives in Solar Cooking at COP29
Solar Cookers International (SCI) highlighted the critical intersection of clean cooking and gender equity during our press conference at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) on November 13, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event featured SCI’s Program and Science Director Alan Bigelow, Ph.D., SCI Strategic Partnerships Manager Keith Wingeard, and Grace Dorong, Executive Director of Root of Generations, South Sudan.
Grace Dorong spoke from personal experience, having lived in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp for several years. She shared insights into the challenges women face due to traditional cooking methods:
“Clean cooking is a gender issue because it disproportionately affects one gender more than the other… While the mother is cooking, the children are always sitting around where the mother is. So that inhalation of the smoke doesn’t just affect the mother sitting there but also affects the children around her. You find that in a household of an estimated 8 children, a total of 9 people, are inhaling the same smoke. You can imagine the health implications… The number of hours the women spend at the cooking area is greater as compared to men. In my culture, a man is supposed to sit at the far end waiting for the food. Imagine the women cooking beans which take 3 to 4 hours to get cooked. And this woman has to sit there to make sure the firewood or charcoal is enough to get those beans ready. Compare those hours with the quantity of smoke she is breathing.”
Her story highlighted the impact of traditional cooking methods on women’s health, time, and well-being.
Solar cooking provides a sustainable solution, eliminating harmful smoke, reducing time spent on fuel collection, and empowering women by giving them more time for education, work, or rest. These technologies not only support gender equity but also contribute to climate resilience and healthier communities.
SCI is grateful for your support in making it possible to share our mission on the global stage and advance solar cooking solutions for a more equitable and sustainable future.