“We improve the lives of the most vulnerable women while contributing to a better  environment.”, says Alex Okurut, program officer at Homebased Care, an NGO in Moroto. Homebased Care partnered with Enabel to organize instant-trainings to teach single mothers with HIV the construction of energy-saving stoves. “These women can earn extra money by building such stoves for their neighbors.”

The energy-saving stoves provide an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fire pits as they need less firewood and produce less smoke. All the materials can be sourced locally in nature as the stoves are built with a mixture of water, grass and soil from a termite hill. Thanks to the fluids of termites, the soil is reinforced and the materials become more solid. After the stove is shaped, it simply needs to dry in the sun. 

40-year old Katherine Nakiru is one of the 9 women who recently finished the 1-week training. She appreciates the opportunity because her sources of income are limited. "Life is not easy. My husband died and I can not get remarried because of the disease. So I need to take care of myself and my children, even when I feel ill." But now she receives compensations for demonstrating the building techniques to other village members. “You can see it is very strong and works well.” confirms a smiling Katherine, while she cooks the beans for supper on her newly-constructed stove.

Equipping Karamojong women with employable skills increases their livelihood opportunities, all while protecting the natural resources of the region. These qualitative and relevant instant-trainings of 10 to maximum 100 hours are organized through Enabel’s Skills Development Fund, with financial support from Irish Aid.