Training on sustainable energy solutions for women of Yagnob

2024-08-23 16:10

A two-day training on sustainable energy solutions for rural communities was held on August 18-19, 2024, in the mountain village of Piskon (Yagnob Valley, Tajikistan). The event was attended by 24 local women from 6 target villages. The training was organized and conducted by the Little Earth within the project "Sustainable management of natural resources and women's participation in mountain communities of Yagnob", which is implemented with the support of Forum CIV with the assistance of the Swedish partner Centralasiengrupperna.

The main goal of the training was to increase the knowledge of the project participants in the field of accessible methods and technologies for energy saving and the use of renewable energy sources. Their active use contributes to the conservation of natural resources, improves the socio-economic conditions of mountain villagers and creates new opportunities for development, including for women.

During the training, the Little Earth’s staff explained the participants why women suffer most from energy poverty and what benefits energy conservation and the transition to alternative energy sources bring. During the presentations, they recalled traditional methods of energy conservation, gave examples of specific objects, the insulation or equipment of which with "green" technologies allowed their owners to save energy and money, and also shared the experience of work of the Little Earth in various remote areas of Tajikistan on the implementation of sustainable energy solutions.

In turn, working in small groups, the women participants of the training discussed their own energy problems that their villages face and tried to suggest measures that, in their opinion, can help improve the situation on the ground. In addition, the participants were presented with various inexpensive and reliable energy-efficient and renewables devices, including solar lighting systems, solar chargers, efficient cooking stoves, solar water heaters, LED lamps and others.

“It is always more interesting to see, touch and test the equipment in person than to show these devices in presentations and videos. This makes it easier to explain its purpose and potential benefits. That is why we specially brought some devices with us for a visual demonstration as part of the training,” says Anton Timoshenko, executive director of the Little Earth.

Some of these devices, such as solar parabolic cookers, solar shower bags, pressure cookers or solar home lighting systems, have previously been distributed by the Little Earth in a number of villages in the Yagnob Valley and local residents actively use them on a daily basis. Thus, the training participants, who were also among these recipients, shared their opinions on how effective such devices are and what benefits they provide. They noted that it helps them save fuel and that they have become less likely to breathe in smoke when cooking.

"Our friends and relatives who use such equipment have already managed to appreciate its effectiveness. They are very grateful for such support. Even those who come to our valley are interested in where they can buy such devices. At the training, we learned new interesting examples of energy saving that can be applied in our communities," says Murodova Bargigul, a participant in the training and a resident of the village of Piskon.