The Darfur Stoves Project (DSP) seeks to protect Darfuri women by providing them with specially developed stoves which require less firewood, hence decreasing women’s exposure to violence while collecting firewood and their need to trade food rations for fuel.
The Darfur Stoves Project is currently accepting applications for a short-term consultant to oversee the development and implementation of a marketing strategy for fuel-efficient cookstoves in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Background:
DSP received funding from UC Berkeley’s Sustainable Products and Solutions Program and the Blum Center for Developing Economies to help magnify our presence and impact in Darfur. This funding will enable DSP to:
- Research, both remotely and in the field, the features of a stove that are deemed important by users, and develop a messaging campaign to increase stove sales and use
- Develop an initial go-to-market plan for widespread commercialization of the stove in Darfur
- Oversee initial roll-out of the marketing plan
Through marketing surveys, supply chain development and investment in human resources, DSP has positioned itself for rapid market penetration in Darfur and will have distributed close to 15,000 Berkeley-Darfur Stoves by the end of this year. To date, most of the stoves have been given away for free; however, given the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the stove, DSP believes there is potential to create a robust market for the Berkeley-Darfur Stove in Darfur.
In DSP’s 2006 pilot project, 50 women were given an early version of the Berkeley-Darfur Stove to cook with for three weeks. At the end of the three weeks, they had the opportunity to purchase the stove for $5 or return it. All 50 women purchased the stove. In the unique situation of Darfur, where wood is practically nonexistent and collecting it is perilous; a stove that reduces wood consumption is a precious commodity.
Project Activities
With the participation of our partners, Oxfam America and Sustainable Action Group, the consultant will make recommendations on how to best market the Berkeley-Darfur Stove to users and will oversee the initial roll-out of a social marketing campaign in Darfur. Specific activities include:
- Collaborate with a UC Berkeley graduate student to conduct desk research, interviews and benchmarking on social marketing campaigns that have been implemented in other stove and appropriate technology programs
- Develop a market survey to fully understand the potential to commercialize the stoves in Darfur (the right price point to sell the stoves, attributes that consumers find most important, the most desirable distribution channels, the most effective messaging to promote stove use, etc).
- Collaborate with Sudan-based consultant to implement the market survey (including data collection and analysis)
- Based on market survey results, create social marketing plan and present multi-year business case for fuel-efficient stoves in Darfur
The duration of this assignment is 30+ working days to be completed by February 2011. This assignment includes brief travel to Darfur to coordinate with the field-based consultant managing data collection and market research. Please email applications to info@darfurstoves.org. Thank you for your interest.