2011-2012 Uganda BRPID Project

Energy Briquette Production Project for Slum Girls

Solid waste management presents a major challenge for many municipal authorities in Sub Saharan Africa cities where rapid population growth, widespread poverty and limited resources all contribute to environmental degradation and waste disposal challenges. Uganda has many slum settlements which are growing every day. Many of the young people living in these settlements are highly affected by lack of jobs in the formal sector.

The project led by the Uganda Association of University Women (UAUW) will provide in-school and out-of-school girls in slum areas with training to make briquettes for cooking and heating. This will create income and employment for the girls and their families and provide a cheap and sustainable source of energy.

This project has been a success and has been embraced whole-heartedly by the school community.  School girls and teachers have been trained to make the briquettes.  The girls make up to 30 briquettes a day, dry them in the sun and then take them home to help reduce the cost of fuel which has almost tripled in the last three months.