The UNDP (or United Nations Development Program) is one of the major stakeholders when it comes to implementing the energy transition and livelihoods improvement for vulnerable populations.
“UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the UN’s development agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”
This year, we won a bid and we can finally start to work with his important agency. The beneficiaries of the projects in Angola are all women, and two of three project managers are women.
In Lunda-Norte, it is refugee settlement under UNHCR’s supervision. There is a big facility that is both used by refugees and also host community from that region. Trainings are provided there with sewing machines, computer room, kitchens, and so the idea is that the users can cook and bake with the solar energy so they have less need for electricity. The main user is a group of 60 women that will work in the kitchen, majority of which are refugees from different places. Almost 400 farmers are also involved on the project. People growing the food, experimenting with different crops, experimenting with food sovereignty, and creating income generation with the productive use of clean energy. Altogether, they are creating strategies to enhance local production and reinforce food security by incorporating maize and cassava flour to the recipes.
In Benguela, UNDP works with a local NGO, supporting with fisheries, use of less seeds, supporting small scale and more collective farmers as well in their production. This program is meant to support the switch from own sufficiency to being able to sell and make income. There is also a school there with almost 2000 children who are going to discover the solar efficiency with Lytefire! In the school UNDP is installing a small prefabricated building, which will be a library, a playroom and computer room with solar panels. This school used to have a bakery but the ovens broke down, then they used generators, and then the bakery stopped. So, the idea here is to restart the production with their Lytefire solar oven.
In Uige, UNDP works with World Vision. The location is very remote, people are very poor, everything is missing, including clean water and this where Lytefire is needed most.
As usual, we will share about the achievements in challenges in future posts as we receive them.
