SCWNet's purpose is to improve health, economies, societies and environments through collective actions to spread solar cooking, pasteurizing and food processing. These reduce the burdens of ever-scarcer fuels, respiratory diseases from indoor air pollution, intestinal diseases from unpasteurized water and crop spoilage. SCWNet's 120+ independent NGOs, businesses and government agencies and 200+ individual experts promote solar solutions through information exchange and collective advocacy to widen access where needed most.
Contact Information
Current advocacy targets are UN WHO Health Promotion, PCIA, Millennium Development Goals, UNHCR, UNCSD and UNFCCC. SCWNet's sponsor organization, Solar Cookers International currently is piloting 'integrated' cooking with solar cookers, hay boxes and fuel efficient stoves with Practical Action targeting 5000 families in western Kenya for PCIA
Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas
Policy makers need education about members' grassroots documentation of solar cookers' acceptance, frequent use, health and environmental benefits for 2+M families and local women adapting simple solar technologies to local needs and conditions. 100 million more families urgently need access to these simple technologies. Barriers also include fossil fuel subsidies and tariffs hampering moving supplies between African countries.
This is urgently needed. The network facilitates information exchange and collective marketing to multiply the efforts of independent promoters.
Standards for evaluating solar cookers' performance and usefulness are available and currently being updated.
Network members are encouraged to measure changes in health (reductions in burns and respiratory and unsafe water-related diseases) and cooking fuels use with solar cookers, and ongoing, sustainable impact.
Relevant Publications or Studies
Solar Cookers Review and the SCWNet E-Newsletter
Our Contribution to the Partnership
SCIA encourages info exchange among network members, and sharing their experiences with PCIA. Many members have participated in PCIA events.