Solar Cookers World Network

Mission
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.
Organization Type	Other Organization Type

Contact Information

Primary Contact	Ms. Bev Blum scwnet@solarcooking.org	Secondary Contact	Ms. Patricia McArdle
Address	4271 Round Valley Circle Stockton, CA 95207 United States	Website	www.solarcooking.org/scwnet
		Phone	(209) 477-5970
		Fax	same as above
		Calling/Fax Instructions	To fax, call ahead to turn on machine

Our Focus

Primary Initiatives, Target Populations, and Scope of Work:
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
Fuels/Technologies:	Solar	Sectors of Experience:	Education Environment Health Renewable Energy Rural Development Water Specifically, household and commercial solar cookers for multiple health, economic and environmental benefits.	Countries of Operation:	Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Benin Burkina Faso Chad Democratic Republic of the Congo Eritrea Ethiopia The Gambia Ghana Kenya Madagascar Malawi Mali Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal South Africa Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Afghanistan Jordan Pakistan Turkey Bangladesh China India Indonesia Japan South Korea Malaysia Nepal Philippines Taiwan Vietnam Australia Canada United States Czech Republic Denmark France Germany Ireland Netherlands Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom

Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas

Social/Cultural barriers to using traditional fuels and stoves:

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.

Market development for improved cooking technologies:

This is urgently needed. The network facilitates information exchange and collective marketing to multiply the efforts of independent promoters.

Technology standardization for cooking, heating and ventilation:

Standards for evaluating solar cookers' performance and usefulness are available and currently being updated.

Indoor air pollution exposure and health monitoring:

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.