NextEnergy Foundation has partnered with Ashden to promote clean energy solutions in humanitarian settings. This is a new area of intervention for the Foundation. Ashden is best known for its Ashden Awards which it has run for over two decades to identify enterprises and organisations at the cutting edge of climate innovation and energy access. .

Over 102m people are now forcibly displaced globally – 94% of displaced people in camps do not have access to electricity, and 81% lack energy for clean cooking. There is an urgent need for investment in clean energy solutions developed and led by displaced people themselves to scale energy access in humanitarian settings and achieve UN SDG 7: access to modern, clean, affordable energy for all by 2030.

Ashden has launched the Power to Refugees and Displaced People programme to create a thriving environment for refugee-led energy solutions. The programme has three aims: (1) catalyse solutions by discovering and seeding new enterprises; (2) grow the impact by scaling established solutions; and, (3) shift policy through strategic communications and advocacy. More details about each of these aims is below:

• Aim 1: Discovering refugee led innovation through the Energising Refugees and Displaced People Award and accelerating the growth of a cohort of aspiring clean energy entrepreneurs (approx. 8). This will include building local capacity and providing seed capital to each organisation. Ashden will also work to increase the visibility of these enterprises.
• Aim 2: Growth stage enterprises will be supported to replicate and scale their work, through grants of between £25,000-£50,000, via Ashden’s Scaling Fund. Ashden will also enable the participation of the innovators at high-profile international gatherings (e.g., COP28).
• Aim 3: Deliver a strategic communication campaign in partnership with organisations like the Global Refugee-led Network to amplify inspiring stories and support an enabling environment for the enterprises.

To catalyse solutions and seed new enterprises (Aim 1), NextEnergy Foundation is providing the 2023 Energising Refugees and Displaced People Award winner with funds to invest in developing or scaling its solution. Abid Kazim, one of NEF’s Trustees, is sitting on the judging panels and will have a vote to determine this year’s winner. The two judging meeting will take place on 17^th May and 19^th July, and the winner will be announced at the Award Ceremony in November.

To grow the impact of established solutions (Aim 2), the Foundation is providing funds to three growth-stage businesses. One of the businesses is the winner of the 2022 Energising Refugees and Displaced People Award, Kakuma Ventures. Kakuma Ventures brings solar-powered internet access to residents in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. More information about the enterprise and its impacts to date can be found here. The second business is the 2021 Award winner, Solar Freeze, which you can read more about here. NEF’s donation will also facilitate the participation of these three innovators at high-profile international gatherings to drive the energy access agenda, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP28.

May 2023 Update: 📢 The shortlist for the Award has been announced. Please visit Ashden’s website to see how we are raising up innovators who are creating powerful change for displaced people and host communities in low-income countries.

October 2023 Update: The third growth-stage business which NEF is helping to grow has now been selected. It is the winner of the 2020 Powering Refugees & Displaced People Award, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) female-owned and run community micro-grid in Yemen. The micro-grid has been operating for four years, with a generation capacity of 24 kVA, and is run by a group of Yemeni women, led by Iman Ghaleb Hadi Al-Hamli. It has approximately 50 residential customers and will expand access to businesses and households further away from the station with NEF’s support.

November 2024 Updates – Scaling Fund – Ashden CEO and members of the International Programme visited Kakuma Ventures and Solar Freeze onsite in Kakuma in March 2024 and shared outstanding achievements of the two growth-stage business NEF is supporting. Updates on the female-owned and run community micro-grid in Yemen are expected in January 2025.

Kakuma Ventures’s Digital Services in Displacement Settings”, Kenya – Winner of 2022 Powering Refugees & Displaced People Award:

Project Objectives: Enhance the livelihoods of refugees and host communities in Kakuma camp, Kenya, by providing clean energy and internet services to support education, trade, and employment.

Activities Undertaken:

1. Internet Access Expansion: Installed 5 primary and 10 auxiliary nodes, totaling 25 primary and 65 secondary nodes, to improve internet coverage.
2. Solar Kit Distribution: Distributed 8 lease-to-own solar kits, increasing the total to 25, providing sustainable and affordable energy.
3. Digital Literacy Training: Conducted 5 sessions, boosting digital skills, increasing revenues by 30%, and growing subscribers from 3,700 to 6,800.
4. E-commerce Portal Development: Developed a portal to support local businesses, enhancing trade with a new local server.

Progress Achieved:

• Internet Connectivity: Connected 3,100 more individuals to the internet
• Clean Energy: Provided solar kits to 8 additional households.
• Income Diversification: Helped 130 forcibly displaced people diversify their income.
• Skill Development: Trained 164 forcibly displaced people, enhancing their employability.

Kakuma Ventures’ future plans:

1. Service Expansion: Pilots in Nakivale and Kinakoni, aiming to replicate in other areas.
2. Digital Literacy: More solar kits, smartphones, and laptops for the community.
3. Platform Development: User-friendly local platform for resources and services.
4. Support Local Industries: Agritech model for farmers to improve infrastructure and revenue.

Solar Freeze, “Solar-Powered Cold Storage Solutions” in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya – winner of 2021 Powering Refugees & Displaced People Award:

Project Objectives: Provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable cold storage solutions to off-grid and weak-grid communities, especially in refugee camps and rural areas. Reduce post-harvest losses, improve storage of medical products, and empower communities through job creation and technical training. Increase food security for small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs.

Activities Undertaken:

1. Deployment of Solar-Powered Cold Storage Units: Deployed 10 units to serve over 120 refugee households in Kakuma on a Pay-As-You-Store model.
2. Technical Training for Local Communities: Trained 10 young women and youth from the refugee community as technicians.
3. Remote Monitoring and Support: Enabled remote monitoring of units using IoT technology.
4. Support for Women Entrepreneurs: Introduced a micro-franchise model, training 10 women to operate the units.

Progress Achieved:

• Procurement and Deployment: Deployed 10 solar-powered units, supporting over 120 households and small businesses, reducing food losses and improving medical storage.
• Training and Onboarding: Trained 10 women and youth as technicians, ensuring project sustainability.
• Customer Training: Trained customers on using the solar freezers, reducing food waste and improving incomes.
• Challenges: Faced infrastructure issues, addressed by partnering with local logistics providers.

Solar Freeze’s future plans:

1. Expansion: Increase regions and units, integrate AI for better efficiency.
2. Empowerment: Train more women and youth, expand job opportunities.
3. Innovation: Enhance IoT and AI, develop predictive maintenance.
4. Sustainability: Reduce food waste and carbon emissions by 2030.

November 2024 Updates – 2023 Ashden Award for Powering Refugees & Displaced People

The award was won by Usafi Green Energy, a Kenyan manufacturer and distributor of cookstoves with a production site in the Kakuma-Kalobeyi Integrated Settlement, a refugee camp in northern Kenya. In addition to stove production, Usafi Green Energy trains refugees in Kakuma to make carbon briquettes, reducing reliance on charcoal and wood for cooking and promoting reforestation around the settlement. The prize money has been invested in purchasing a plot of land to relocate the warehouse and manufacturing facilities to a site with a lower risk of flooding.

In March 2024, the Ashden CEO and members of the International Programme visited Usafi Green Energy’s offices in Thika and their production site in Kakuma. They reported the following progress:

• 37 employees at the Kakuma site, 20 of whom are women, with the majority of staff being refugees.
• Distribution of over 47,000 cookstoves for household use.
• Installation of 21 fuel-efficient stoves in schools.

Once the new site is established, Usafi plans to increase both briquette and stove production.