Addressing Refugee Health and Safety through Gender-Specific Interventions: Clean Ethanol Stoves Fuel as a Tool for Protection and Prevention. APHA Annual Conference – Monday, November 17, 2014 : 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM
Authors: Gulce Askin , Project Gaia Inc., Gettysburg, PA
Brady Luceno , Project Gaia Inc., Gettysburg, PA
Megan Graham, MPH , Center for Healthy Development; Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Household energy use is an urgent public health issue in humanitarian settings where resources are extremely scarce. Reliance on traditional biomass fuels (firewood, dung and charcoal) for all cooking needs is common. The environmental impact of fuelwood gathering and overharvesting is significant. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the health burdens of polluting fuels.
Thus, a gender-specific approach may be required for the implementation of successful household energy projects. Two dimensions of health must be considered; refugee security and the prevention of Gender Based Violence during fuel collection, and the environmental health reduction of exposure to pollutants during indoor cooking.
Gaia Association, an implementing partner to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) implements a clean ethanol cookstove and fuel program in the Jijiga Somali camps in Ethiopia. The program has made significant advancements in refugee health and security. These results were reflected in surveys and narrative accounts collected from 2005-2009, as well as ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Ethanol stoves save on average two fuel collection trips per week providing significant timesavings over firewood. Indoor air pollution monitoring showed that alcohol stoves achieved an 85% reduction of Particulate Matter (PM) emissions (99% in the lab) over traditional wood fires and a 93% reduction of CO in the refugee camps (93% in the lab).
