About 14.87 % of the total population in Malawi has access to electricity. Consequently, the pressure is mounted on forests as people are continuously in need of energy for cooking. Thus, trees are primary sources of cooking energy in form of charcoal and firewood.
The adoption of sustainable and energy efficient sources of energy are critical in the process preventing further degradation of the environment and in building community resilience.
Women are among the groups of people who are being highly affected by the effects of climate change. It is against this background that YONECO, through its Climate Change and Disaster Management Programme, has trained a total of 19 women from Ntcheu district in the production of briquettes for cooking.
The briquettes will help communities to conserve the environment as their production relies on the use of recycled materials. Further to this, the trained participants will also be empowered economically as some of the briquettes will be sold within their communities.
In addition, YONECO further intends to train more women in making energy efficient cooking stoves that will be supplemented by the briquettes.
