Geres (Myanmar / Morocco)
Geres is an international development NGO that works to improve the living conditions of the poor and tackle the causes and impact of climate change. The energy transition is a major focus for Geres. In the interest of ambitious societal change, they encourage the development and rollout of innovative, locally based solutions, support territorial climate and energy policies and mobilise all stakeholders around climate solidarity, urging them to take action and stand up for the most vulnerable.
In 2020/2021, the Eurofins Foundation provided Geres with a donation to support a project entitled “Women's entrepreneurship, a source of energy in rural Myanmar”, which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, as well as promote local economic development through the dissemination of sustainable energy solutions (SEDs) to isolated rural populations in Myanmar.
Through the creation of a social business which gathers female entrepreneurs that sell improved cookstoves, certified solar products and electric cooking appliances, local communities can have access to cleaner energy sources. These solutions allow 12,000 households (or 50,000 people) to benefit from financial savings and better health outcomes, as well as help the environment through the reduced consumption of firewood and fewer CO² emissions. The project also contributes to strengthening the economic empowerment of women in rural communities.
More specifically, the Eurofins Foundation’s grant supported 16 women, who became distribution entrepreneurs, and 3,560 households that are now using more economical cooking methods.
In 2021/2022, the Eurofins Foundation supported the programme “Improving learning conditions for children in the Moroccan Atlas”.
Midelt is a rural province located more than 1,500m above sea level in the Atlas Mountains, where winters are harsh and snowfalls frequent. Buildings in the area are often cold and poorly insulated.
A Geres study conducted in 2018 in the province's schools revealed the need for improvements to the energy efficiency of these buildings to improve the learning environment for pupils. These buildings drain the budgets of the institutions and parents, who sometimes offer their own meagre resources to purchase fuel (4°C is the lowest temperature recorded on winter mornings in the classrooms).
The Eurofins Foundation’ support has contributed to a strengthened consideration of energy and climate issues in the territory at all levels and has in particular made it possible to:
- Improve well-being and thermal comfort through the energy renovation of a boarding school with 71 students;
- Encourage the emergence of an eco-construction and sustainable building sector: 12 artisans benefited from practical training in insulation installation techniques and 2 architects were supported to take energy efficiency into account in architectural studies;
- Strengthen the capacities of 40 decision-makers and technical staff in the institutions, to initiate the implementation of sustainable construction projects;
- Support 10 local associations to take energy and climate issues into account in their activities;
- Raise awareness among 688 students/educators to encourage them to adopt eco-citizen lifestyles within and outside their schools, for better ownership of buildings and for a sustainable and appropriate use of energy sources.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation supported the project Wellbeing and Resilience Within Rural Communities in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. The expansion of agricultural production onto marginal or previously forested areas, logging for heating and cooking, and less than desirable land use and natural resource management practices, have increased the vulnerability to natural hazards and reduced tree cover. Additionally, the effects of climate change require communities to adapt. Furthermore, with restricted income sources and soaring prices in the current climate, food security is seriously threatened.
In this context, reducing poverty and improving food security while tackling the issue of climate change is a challenge. Improving the wellbeing and the resilience of these rural communities has become a priority. To enhance wellbeing within at-risk communities in the Rashtvalley, Geres and its partners focus on access to nutritious food, clean water, resources, and energy-efficient solutions. Geres expertise contributes to energy-efficient construction and the development of infrastructure for improved agricultural practices:
- Building affordable passive solar greenhouses and efficient bioclimatic storage units to address issues related to scarcity of land, access to nutrition, reduce post-harvest loss over winter and support livelihoods.
- Promoting energy-efficient housing solutions through engagement of communities, market-based approaches and direct interventions as well as thermal retrofitting of public buildings.
The Eurofins Foundation contributed to the following achievements:
- 6 low-energy consumption (LEC) houses were constructed for the families relocated in response to the flood risk (35 climate migrants).
- 2 school buildings were thermally rehabilitated and passive solar greenhouses were constructed for the schools’ gardens and improved cooking stoves (ICS) were provided for the school kitchens (400 school children, 30 members of the school staff).
- 4 solar greenhouses and 3 bioclimatic storage units were constructed for the Women Production Groups (WPGs). Additionally, 8 existing bioclimatic cellars have been upgraded to reduce the loss of agricultural produce over the winter (4 Women Production Groups, 30 women).
- Baseline assessments were conducted among 142 households with a detailed report included. After collecting the data, 66 households were engaged in the DIY thermal upgrades of their houses and supplied with kits.
- Additionally, 40 local artisans received training in energy-efficient construction methods, which included 14 craftswomen trained in the building of improved cooking stoves (ICS). Consequently, this led to the construction of 110 ICSs for the households selected during the baseline study and generated extra income for the craftswomen. Finally, the construction of 20 LEC houses were incentivised via subsidies for house designs and green loans.
This project contributes to the following United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
