Well-designed clean energy systems:.~ Reduce time poverty.~ Redistribute labor.~ Protect vulnerable learners & workers especially women. This is gender-responsive energy planning in action. #IOMUNMigration.#EuropeanUnion .#UNHCRtheUNRefugeeAgency .#RobertAKANKWASA.

- As one staff member put it:.“Eliminating the need for pupils to carry heavy firewood reduced injuries & long-distance movement risks.”.When we measure energy only in kilowatts or carbon saved, we miss its full value.

- That time now goes to admin duties, kitchen planning & rest, easing pressure on overstretched staff. - Protection risks tied to carrying firewood long distances have diminished.

Reclaiming Time, Reducing Risk,.A Gender Lens on Institutional Energy Stoves.In fragile settings, every hour reclaimed matters especially for women & girls. Here’s what our monitoring revealed:.- Cooks saved 20–25 minutes once lost managing unstable fires or inefficient tools.

If every school kitchen in similar settings saw just a 50% drop in smoke exposure, we’d:Protect hundreds of frontline workers,reduce the health system’s respiratory burden,deliver dignity through safer labor conditions.Clean energy in humanitarian institutions =health protection.

This isn’t just a comfort upgrade. It’s an occupational health shift. Institutional cooks often invisible but essential prepare hundreds of meals daily. Yet, their safety, well-being and working conditions are rarely centered in energy policy. That needs to change.

That’s now changing. Here’s how: .- 4 of 6 schools reported a “greatly reduced” presence of smoke. - Staff reported less coughing, eye irritation and breathlessness. - 83% rated their kitchens as “clean and safe”a major shift. - Zero fire-related injuries.

Safer Kitchens, Healthier Staff: The Clean Energy Imperative.Before clean energy interventions, smoke-filled kitchens were a daily hazard for school cooks, working for hours in semi-enclosed spaces with poor ventilation.

Resilience isn’t built overnight. But clean energy is a practical first step. Less stress. More service. #UNHCRtheUNRefugeeAgency .#OfficeofthePrimeMinisterUganda .#RobertAKANKWASA .#IKEAFoundation .#MastercardFoundation.

Schools used the saved time and money to meet urgent needs—not someday, but now. Energy efficiency gave them options. It’s not just a cleaner kitchen. It’s a stronger, more flexible institution which are better able to adapt and deliver.

Institutional Efficiency That Creates Space for Learning. Clean energy isn’t a side benefit. In the schools we worked with, it transformed how institutions function. Our clean energy project brought:.• Faster meals.• Lower costs.• More class time.• Less staff burnout

Join us from 1st to 14th August at Owino Market for the Green Exhibition, where inclusive entrepreneurs will showcase climate-smart solutions and community-made innovations. @RESCUEorg .

Most rely on home-based selling (45%) or informal street vending, with limited growth opportunities especially for youth, women, and refugees. It’s time to bridge the gap between skilling and selling and open up the city economy to all.

Kampala’s economy thrives on vibrant entrepreneurship,but barriers to formal market access persist. According to UBOS (2024), over 60% of city employment is informal, and our recent situational review shows that only 1 in 5 trained entrepreneurs gain access to structured markets.

@UNmigration @EU_Commission As the project ends, the journey doesn’t. This week, we’re sharing the human stories and real outcomes that prove sustainable energy belongs at the heart of institutions. This is system-building. This is what lasting impact looks like. #UNHCR #RobertAKANKWASA.#IKEAFoundation.

@UNmigration @EU_Commission This project shows that modern energy in schools:.• Frees up resources for education.• Protects the environment.• Improves working conditions.• Reinforces resilience in fragile contexts.This is climate action that meets humanitarian needs.

@UNmigration @EU_Commission What changed?.• Firewood use dropped by up to 70%.• Cooking time cut by more than an hour daily .• Healthier air & safer kitchens.• UGX 100–300K saved monthly.• Staff report less fatigue & more dignity at work.

To tackle this, Raising Gabdho Foundation, with @UNmigration and @EU_Commission implemented Communal Energy-Efficient Hubs across 6 schools in Nakivale Settlement and host communities. A simple idea with big impact: clean energy can transform more than kitchens.

In Uganda’s refugee-hosting districts, schools are more than learning spaces, they’re lifelines for meals, safety, and community. Yet behind every meal lies a crisis: outdated and unsafe cooking systems.

A Future We Build Ourselves .Africa’s next chapter won’t be written by outsiders. It’ll be shaped by communities who organise and entrepreneurs who formalize. Join the Conversation. Ask questions. Share your experience. Raise the standard. #FinanceForImpact #SocialEnterpriseUG.