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(RE4R)
This combination reduces carbon emissions and creates a safer environment for everyone in the refugee camps.
Refugee communities in Jordan and Rwanda need energy to power homes, schools, and clinics. Families rely on it for cooking, studying, and earning a living. Without reliable energy, meeting basic needs and planning for the future is hard.
But in most refugee camps, electricity is limited and costly. On average, displaced families spend over $200 a year on fuel—adding up to $2.1 billion globally. This lack of energy keeps refugees dependent on aid and unable to rebuild their lives.
Our sustainable energy projects aim to change that. Many camps are cut off from the power grid, so finding alternative energy sources is a constant challenge. The impacts are serious: indoor cooking smoke harms health—especially for women and children—and gathering firewood puts women at risk of violence while adding to their workload.
2017 – 2022
Rwanda, Jordan
Energy access
Title: Renewable Energy for Refugees
Dates: April 2017 – February 2022
Location: Nyabiheke, Gihembe and Kigeme, Rwanda and Irbid, Jordan
Our role:
We worked with the private sector to design and implement innovative market-based solutions by cooperating with host governments and national NGOs, improving the evidence base through original research, and demonstrating new approaches tried and tested in camps and host communities.
Participants: Supported by the IKEA Foundation in partnership with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Chatham House and Energy for Impact and Norwegian Refugee Council.
Project Budget: €8.6 million
Theme: Energy access
Donor: IKEA Foundation
of refugee households in Rwanda had little or no access to energy for lighting
of households relied on three-stone fires, mud stoves and firewood for cooking
We use a total energy access approach which aims to address energy access for households, enterprises, and communities in displaced settings. We use markets systems development to stimulate change within local energy systems in order to improve clean energy access for refugees and deliver systemic change to reduce dependency on continuous aid.
This includes: strengthening and supporting markets, promoting economic activity for refugees and host communities, facilitating private sector companies to adapt business models for refugee markets and global advocacy, learning and evidence sharing.
Working in partnership with UNHCR, the Renewable Energy for Refugees project is supporting refugees and their host communities’ access to finance, training, technology and expertise.
This access facilitates renewable energy powering homes, schools, and businesses, enabling refugees to flourish and move from reliance on aid to economic independence.
In Jordan, we’re working with 10,000 refugees and their host communities living in Irbid. 80% of Syrian refugees living in Jordan live below the poverty line and struggle to pay monthly bills, with rent and utilities being their highest costs. Increasing energy access through solar-powered water heating and electricity systems to homes and schools has saved refugees vital money and ensure they can live better lives.
In Rwanda, we’re working with 50,000 refugees in the Kigeme, Nyabiheke, and Gihembe refugee camps. Refugee communities are mainly Congolese and have fled the civil war and internal conflict. Before the project, there was very little energy infrastructure in and around the camps, making it extremely difficult to cook meals, study at night, grow businesses and even move around the camp after dark.
I used to do my MoMo [mobile money] business outside and at night I used a torch to serve my customers. It was risky.
The time for my business has increased and the customers come safely. I am the one who determines when I go home to relax while in the past darkness was my guide.
Nestor – Mobile Money vendor, Nyabiheke refugee camp, Rwanda
RE4R aims to improve the health, wellbeing and security in camps and host communities through access to sustainable, clean cooking stoves and energy systems which can power lighting, radios, mobile phones and water heating. This combination contributes to reduced carbon emissions and creates a safer environment for everyone in the refugee camps.
Ultimately, RE4R enables refugees to move from a reliance on aid to economic independence.
For a full list of achievements, please see our Factsheet.
When surveyed, refugees reported the following improvements to their quality of life;
99% feel safer in their home after dark
97% are able to do recreational and leisure activies after dark
87% are able to study after dark
48% are able to do business or productive activities after dark
Source: Outcome Monitoring Survey 7 (October 2021), across the three refugee camps.
This project contributes to progress against four of the 17 SDGs.
Goal 5: Gender Equality
The RE4R project strives for Gender Equality by giving the women in refugee camp business opportunities by providing cooking appliances, radios, mobile phones and training.
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
RE4R provides access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for refugee households, enterprises and communities in Jordan and Rwanda.
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
RE4R promotes Decent Work and Economic Growth through promoting business opportunities and market access for communities in refugee camps.
Goal 15: Life on Land
RE4R contributes to the protection of the environment by helping people living in camps to access cleaner cook stoves as a replacement to collecting firewood or charcoal.
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