More than 500 pastoralist women in Laikipia North Sub County have benefitted from energy savings jikos intended to combat climate change.
The jikos were donated through the sponsorship of Akili Group and Dutch Green Business (DGB) through the Huduma Mashinani Foundation, organisations that deal with nature conservation through carbon offset in the country.
Speaking during the distribution exercise in Ilpolei on Sunday, the beneficiaries expressed their gratitude, noting that the jikos would save them time spent searching for firewood since the jikos use less energy compared with the traditional ones.
“We are happy at getting these jikos because, as pastoralist women, it’s our role to fetch firewood, and as a result, we encounter a lot of challenges; hence, this will give us ample time to relax and also do other things like bead-making,” said Rosemary Nenini, one of the beneficiaries.
She added that they had also encountered a lot of challenges, including being exposed to the dangers of wildlife attacks in the forest while fetching firewood, which would now become a thing of the past.
Nenini revealed that the jikos would also ensure they conserve over 40 acres of forest in the area.
Naiserian Lemaiyan, an elderly beneficiary among 526 pastoralist women, said that with her age, it was becoming harder for her to fetch firewood, but with the jiko, it was a relief.
Huduma Mashinani Foundation official John Wanjau said that the energy jikos would save over 60 per cent of the firewood the pastoralist women use in their daily routine, a move targeted to prevent tree logging and promote restoration in the vast Laikipia County.
Wanjau noted that pastoralist women had developed eye health problems for cooking with firewood from different types of trees, some of which were poisonous, a situation they were endeavouring to address.
“The energy-saving jikos will cut the cost of money and time women spend to prepare a meal, including eradicating ailments that emanate from soot that causes eye problems,” said Wanjau.
He further revealed they have targeted to benefit more than 100,000 families in the county through energy-saving jikos and funds from carbon offsetting in their touted effort to promote environmental conservation.
Laikipia County Secretary Koinange Wahome said that the government had embraced the initiative since it was in line with its agenda of environmental conservation.
He called on donors to ensure all women in the county benefitted from the jikos as a way to protect and restore degraded forests.
By Muturi Mwangi
