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Recommendations
Wood is, and is likely to remain, the favoured preference of refugees for cooking.
It is recommended that a practical management plan be drawn up immediately for
the harvesting, transportation, storage and distribution of firewood to camps. This
must be accompanied with a comprehensive assessment of real supply needs at the
household level.
While refugees at Gihinga claim not to like the briquettes, there is little evidence
of illegal tree-cutting or charcoal making. Briquettes are a viable alternative
energy source and appear to be accepted, where access to firewood is limited
and/or controlled. The use of briquettes should therefore be continued at Gihinga
camp, but people should be encouraged to use the briquettes only for the purpose
for which they are intended.
Before considering its application in the other camps, the briquette design should
be improved, in consultation with beneficiaries at Gihinga. If 70 per cent of the
current wood rations in all camps was replaced by briquettes, this would result in
a 70 per cent reduction in firewood supply / consumption.
Contrary to UNHCR s environmental guidelines, charcoal is produced in all of the
camps. The production of charcoal within the camp boundaries should be actively
discouraged by NRC, in co-operation with the camp police. Identifying the correct
level of firewood delivered to camps is a starting point, as this will create a natural
shortage of wood for transformation to charcoal. The introduction of such
limitations should be linked with the participatory development of alternative
income generating activities for existing charcoal producers (e.g. co-operative
market gardens).
The introduction of solar cookers should only be considered at an institutional
level, and only where food preparation is not intended.
The introduction of peat, kerosene or biogas is not viable in the refugee context in
Burundi.
2.4.7 Cooking Practices
Focus group discussions and direct observation of cooking practices indicated
awareness of the following fuel-efficient cooking practices:
the use of pan lids;
extinguishing fires immediately after cooking;
pre-soaking dried foods;
use of bicarbonate of soda to reduce cooking times for beans; and
bulk cooking.
It should, however, be pointed out that this refers to an awareness of fuel-efficient
cooking practices only and should not be seen to translate into the application of such
practices. While the use of pan lids was commonly noticed in the camps, there was
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