DelAgua has resumed the distribution of improved cookstoves that will see a further 250,000 rural households receive a high quality, fuel-efficient stove, free of charge. Along with the stove, each household will receive one-on-one education on clean cooking benefits and ongoing support over the stove’s 10-year lifespan.
DelAgua’s Livɛ Fyn programme in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone began in 2022 following a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Energy. In 2023 DelAgua distributed 27,000 stoves across 7 districts: Kono, Kambia, Bonthe, Tonkolili, Bo, Falaba and Kenema, benefiting 200,625 people.
The 250,000 stoves will be distributed in Kambia, Kenema, Moyamba, Koinadugu, Bo, Tonkolili and Western Rural districts. 50 full –time staff and a network of 1,504 Youth Volunteers have been recruited and trained to support the distributions and subsequent household visits within their communities. This distribution is part of the fulfilment of DelAgua’s 2024 Public Private Agreement with the Ministry of Energy to extend the project to a total of 700,000 households.
The Government of Sierra Leone has been at the forefront of efforts to advocate for clean cooking and carbon finance. His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio was among the global leaders who attended the Clean Cooking Summit in Paris in 2024, where $2.2 billion was mobilised to ensure access to cleaner cooking solutions, prioritising the health of women and children who are most affected by toxic fumes and smoke from traditional cooking methods, which cause long term health risks and premature deaths.
The cookstove distributed by DelAgua is the world’s most fuel-efficient, advanced wood fuel stove. It reduces wood consumption by 71% compared to 3-stone cooking methods and produces 81% fewer emissions than an open fire delivering multiple, measurable health, climate, gender and economic benefits for people and the environment.
An independent research study of the Live Fyn programme conducted by 60 Decibels on behalf of the Clean Cooking Alliance reported that 99% of respondents have noticed improved quality of life because of time savings, reduced fuel consumption and the ability to save money; 89% climate resilience score with respondents feeling more able to deal with the impact of climate shocks such as flood, extreme rainfall and heat; and 89% of the DelAgua stove users reporting a lack of good alternatives before receiving this stove. This research affirms the multiple benefits of increasing access to clean cooking, especially for rural communities that are entirely reliant on firewood for cooking.
Through DelAgua’s collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the Livɛ Fyn project has received a Letter of Authorization (LoA) which provides for revenue sharing with the Government from the carbon credits generated from the cook stoves.
DelAgua CEO, Euan McDougall:
“At DelAgua, we believe that no household should be left behind in the transition to cleaner and more efficient cooking. In just 2 years, we have seen positive responses from both beneficiaries and local leaders. The Livɛ Fyn programme is designed to deliver long-term behaviour change among households, cut greenhouse gas emissions and greatly reduce the demand for firewood.
I would like to thank the Government & Paramount Chiefs for their support in implementing the project and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”
Deputy Minister of Energy l, Ing. Edmond Nonie:
“We are excited about this development; many young people spend a lot of time finding wood for cooking. This type of innovative technology will help our young people save time that would otherwise have been committed to collecting wood and cooking.
This project aligns with the government’s Big Five Gamechangers with respect to creating thousands of jobs for the youth. This project has provided jobs for close to 1,500 young people. The type of training and capacity building that people have benefitted from will enable beneficiaries to move forward and create their own businesses.”
About DelAgua
DelAgua is a social enterprise with more than a decade of experience implementing large-scale carbon development projects that transform the lives of rural households across Africa. The Live Well programme exclusively targets rural communities who are otherwise unable to afford the transition to clean cooking. DelAgua pioneered the use of technology to match stoves with recipient households, enabling the geolocation of stoves and monitoring of household usage at scale.
To date, 1.6 million stoves have been distributed across Rwanda, The Gambia & Sierra Leone.
For more information, please contact:
DelAgua Sierra Leone Country Director – Ibrahim Marrah [email protected]
DelAgua Group CEO – Euan McDougall [email protected]
DelAgua Group Communications Director – Kate Bruges [email protected]
