LIGHTING THE WAY - New technologies transform the lives of refugees
LIGHTING THE WAY - New technologies transform the lives of refugees
New technologies transform the lives of refugees
UNHCR's push to install solar lighting and other clean technologies in refugee camps promises a better life for refugee women and a brighter future for their children.
Millions of the world's refugees live without electricity. Families are relying on ever-dwindling firewood resources, and activities most of us take for granted become impossible once the sun goes down. Children are unable to study in the evenings and the streets of many refugee camps become dangerous after dark, particularly for women and girls.
Soon, however, thanks to new, eco-friendly technologies, electricity could be available to the poorest and most isolated refugee communities. With help from its donors and the private sector, UNHCR is piloting the introduction of solar street lighting and clean technologies in 11 refugee camps in Africa, with immediate benefits for the people's health, safety and quality of life.
Safer streets
A key part of the pilot program is the installation of 1,400 solar powered street lights. Many of the lights will be located near communal facilities like wash houses, latrines and water collection points, places where women and girls commonly fall prey to harassment and sexual assault in the dark.
In camps in eastern Chad where solar lighting has been installed, refugees are already seeing the benefits.
"Since we have the new street lights, there is less vandalism and bad people hanging around at night in our area of the camp," says Mahamat Moussa, a 39-year-old Sudanese refugee living in Iridimi Camp. He reports that community gatherings have also increased, providing a reassuring presence of people in the streets at night.
Solar lanterns are already in use in several refugee camps in Asia, allowing families to work, study and socialise in safety after dark.(UNHCR)Educational benefits
The 11 camps will be receiving more than 87,000 solar powered family lanterns. Designed to illuminate the interior of a typical refugee dwelling, the lanterns will enable children to study at night.
A lack of lighting in the home is known to contribute to poor educational outcomes among children in impoverished communities. Where domestic lighting is improved, there is often a corresponding improvement in children's school attendance and performance. The solar lanterns will enable young refugees to apply themselves to their studies and eventually free themselves from the poverty cycle.
A Healthier Environment
Innovations like the energy efficient Save80 stove also have the power to transform the lives of those living in refugee camps, improving their health and safety and protecting the surrounding environment.
African women and girls can spend hours every day collecting firewood, missing out on school and putting themselves at serious risk of sexual assault. Through clever design, the Save80 stove cuts wood consumption by 80%. This leaves women more time for education, skills training and income generation and, because they leave the camp less often to fetch wood, they are far less likely to be victims of rape and harassment.
The introduction of Save80 stoves in these 11 camps alone could save more than 100,000 tonnes of firewood annually. This will not only improve the community's health by reducing smoke pollution but will also protect the fragile environs of these camps by slowing the rampant deforestation of surrounding woodlands.
You can help
Renewable energy and clean technologies offer real solutions for camp-based refugees. Until now however, in our struggle to ensure people's day-to-day survival, we have not been able to take full advantage of the opportunities they present.
Now, at last, with the help of private sector partners like Energias de Portugal (EDP), UNHCR is devising and testing a range of smart solutions for refugees - technologies that are affordable and effective in the harshest conditions for replication in refugee camps around the world.
EDP is supporting the installation of sustainable technologies in Kakuma Camp in Kenya, providing street lighting, stoves and solar panels for water pumps and purification. UNHCR is now calling for donations - corporate and individual - to help roll out the new technology in another 11 camps, benefiting some 440,000 refugees.
