In early October, the project team on promotion of alternative technologies was warmly welcomed in the settlement Bekbay (Karakalpakstan). Again, as in other villages where the project has already worked, we started talking to local residents about the small-scale alternatives and energy efficient installations. And what really makes us happy, is that the locals welcomed us very enthusiastically.

Both adults and children, both women and men took part in the training sessions. At that, the participants paid most of their attention to the solar ovens of parabolic type, which attract everyone with its simple use and manufacturing, as well as its efficiency.

Here is a very good example, which one of the project team members – Yuri Mun has shared with us. In general, all around the project are very skeptical about the solar oven technology. “How would it work? Is it convenient? How a woman could cook on it? A usual oven is very familiar and comfortable. As for this type, it is unknown???” But it turns out people who think very quickly get used to the oven and begin to use it. For example, one school, which has no gas and nothing to cook at, just started to boil water on the oven, pour it into a thermos, and make tea. Tea is sold. Everyone wants to drink hot tea in a cool autumn day. And here is a direct effect of the oven. People have benefit and somebody gets income, and the firewood is not burned ... Isn’t it wonderful?

As a result of this trip 2 more briquette presses, two energy-efficient ovens, 4 solar ovens of parabolic type and 8 solar ovens of box type were assembled! All installations assembled were transferred to the interested residents and needy families. All trainings were held in a small local school, which after the training received 25 energy-saving light bulbs from the project team.

It should be noted there was big interest from the part of the local residents, which cannot but make us happy. Just recently, our UNDP-GEF fraternal project on conservation of riparian forests under the guidance of Khalilullah Satimovich Sherimbetov and his team created a new protected area - the State Biosphere Reserve of Lower Amudarya in Beruni and Amu Darya regions of Karakalpakstan, with a total area of 68717.8 ha. The Bekbai settlement is situated near this territory, and owing to the fact that even a small number of people started using alternative technologies, has decreased overall the load on the nearby riparian woodlands. After all, the local residents, who were the participants of the project trainings will no longer cut down trees for firewood, they will prefer cooking on a solar oven.

Alexandra Povarich
PR Specialist

If you became interested in the idea of the project and you want to share either your own ideas or maybe help us, then you can write to us:
Yuri Mun – yuriym83@gmail.com
Valentin Soldatov – soldatovval@list.ru
Alexandra Povarich - povarich@alexandra.uz