Eco-Friendly Cooking Systems Set Up for South Sudanese Women by TİKA

Eco-friendly cooking systems were provided to women who had to walk for miles to collect firewood, as part of the project carried out by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in South Sudan.

By producing their own charcoal briquettes, women benefited from TİKA's "Training on Coal Briquette Production from Organic Waste for Disadvantaged Women" project will no longer need to look for firewood.

With the project carried out in the Hai-Referendum region near Juba, the capital of South Sudan, three grinders, mixers and mold pressing machines were provided for the use of women, as well as 220 heat-insulated cookers for cooking purposes.

The women benefiting from the project will be able to dry the organic wastes such as seeds and peels of fruits under the sun, then grind and mix them in machines provided by TİKA, and finally, they will combine the materials to form charcoal briquettes in the molding machine. Besides that, excess organic coal briquettes will be sold by women in the markets, contributing to the family livelihood.

Speaking at the opening of the project, Martin Masongole, Program Manager of Lulu Care Women's Association, expressed his sadness for the earthquake that occurred in Türkiye. Masongole thanked Türkiye for not forgetting the disadvantaged women of South Sudan, and stated that with the project, women's lives will be improved, women will be saved from walking for miles to find wood, and they will be able to cook in healthier conditions with the heat-insulated stoves provided. Reminding that TİKA has many projects in the country, especially for women and children, who are disadvantaged groups, Masongole said that they are grateful to TİKA for this.

Households in South Sudan meet their daily cooking needs on makeshift stoves with wood or coal fires. In order to find wood, women and children generally have to walk long distances at dawn. This circumstances create a security vulnerability for women and children and also cause deforestation.