- Organisation profiles

Solar Cookers International (SCI) EA - Kenya

Contact details

Physical address: Githunguri Road, Kileleshwa
Postal Address: P.O. Box 51190, Nairobi, Kenya.
Telephone: +254 2 4347144 or 0722 305895
Fax: +254 2 4347144
Email: sci@...

Main contact person

Margaret C.A. Owino (SCI Representative-East Africa)

Background, mission and goals

Description of Organisation

Solar Cookers International is an educational non-profit making organisation, formed in 1987 and is based in Sacramento, CA, USA. It has a regional resource centre in Nairobi, which manages and co-ordinates its field projects and also offers technical support to communities and NGOs interested in solar cooking and solar water pasteurisation, it coordinates information exchange in the region and is responsible for development and dissemination of educational materials on the same.

Mission Statement

SCI assists communities to use power from the sun to cook food and pasteurise water for the benefit of people and environments.

Objectives/goals

To provide skills and information to enable and motivate other organisations to disseminate solar cooking technology.
To manage community based solar cooking and water pasteurisation projects that will serve as replicable, sustainable success stories.
To establish targeted educational information to meet the needs of specific audiences including users, the educational community, public and private funding institutions, industry infrastructure and consumers.
To promote exchange of information pertaining to water pasteurisation and solar cooking through conferences, publications, peer exchange and the internet.
To understand and develop technologies, methodologies and processes pertaining to solar cooking and solar pasteurisation.
To advocate/influence decision-makers and opinion leaders to promote solar cooking and water pasteurisation.

Approach, organisational programmes and activities

Managing solar cooking projects, promoting the use of solar cooker especially the CooKit, developing educational materials and disseminating information in the region. Values and uses participatory approach in its processes.

Examples of past successes and experience

Implemented two promotion projects in two refugee camps, Kakuma in Kenya and Aisha in Ethiopia. External evaluations of the two project revealed a 94% adoption rate in Aisha with significant savings in wood, time money and worries. Ann earlier study of Kakuma project revealed that those who solar cook frequently reduce their dependency on biomass fuels by 2/3.

Currently SCI (EA) is implementing a non - refugee project in Nyakach , Nyanza province named, Sunny Solutions.

Overall institutional structure

SCI is registered in the US as a not for profit, tax exempt non- governmental organization, here in Kenya it is registered as an International NGO. Working in the field of energy, environment and community development.

SCI is governed by a volunteer Board of directors, all based in America, the staff include an Executive director, A programmes manager , resource coordinator, database manager, office manager and his assistant. Here in the region, we have a regional representative, programmes coordinator, project officers and assistants and a field assistant.

SCI's annual budget is $ 569,160

Other details

SCI seeks to gain a multiplier effect of its experiences and expertise by networking with other NGOs and agencies with similar agendas. This is done through offering technical support to those who may want to take - up solar cooking and solar water pasteurisation or to integrate it into their programmes.

SCI (EA) offers periodic training of trainers to further build the capacities of those who may be directly involved in the dissemination of solar cookers.

SCI shares the valuable wisdom gained from projects through a quarterly, news-brief called SuNews. Over 1,500 Copies of the first two issues were circulated - we welcome anyone who wants to join us and be receiving free copies of their own or several for their institutions.

Pagename: :SCIKenya