Clean Energy & Dignified Livelihoods, Built in Nakivale.
We are a refugee-led social enterprise in Nyarugugu C Village, Nakivale Refugee Settlement, producing hybrid solar stoves and green charcoal briquettes to fight deforestation, indoor air pollution, and unemployment.
Where this started
Avith Mpfukamensabe started this work in 2020 in Nyarugugu C Village, where he lives. He saw how much families here spend on fuel and how much waste the settlement throws away. So he began building stoves that cook with sunlight, and pressing household waste into green charcoal briquettes.
Today young refugees build the stoves, and women earn daily wages collecting the waste. The association is registered with the Ugandan government and has technical support from Ashden.
Our Mission
To provide affordable, clean cooking solutions across refugee-hosting communities while creating sustainable economic opportunities for refugee women and youth.
Our Vision
A resilient, green Nakivale Settlement where every household cooks safely without indoor smoke, high fuel costs, or deforestation.
What we are solving
High fuel costs, growing waste piles, and a lack of employment feed into each other. Our integrated model tackles all three simultaneously:
Cutting Fuel Costs
Our hybrid solar stoves use solar-powered airflow to cut charcoal use by up to 75% and halve cooking times.
Turning Waste into Fuel
We collect local organic waste and press it into smokeless, eco-friendly green charcoal briquettes.
See the briquettes
Creating Local Jobs
Refugee women earn daily income collecting biomass, while youth are trained as technicians to assemble and repair stoves.
See the impact
Less charcoal used with a solar stove, at most
Half
The cooking time
The year we started
Questions people ask us
Save time by checking our top questions from guests, partners, and community members below.
Who runs Nakivale Solar Stoves & Energy Solutions Association?
We are a community-based, refugee-led association founded in 2020 in Nyarugugu C Village, inside Nakivale Refugee Settlement (Isingiro District, South-West Uganda). Our leadership team and staff live and work directly within the settlement.
How does a hybrid solar stove work?
Our stoves combine solar energy with an internal micro-fan to supply controlled oxygen into the combustion chamber. This creates a high-efficiency flame that drastically minimizes smoke and cuts charcoal consumption by up to 75%.
What happens when it is cloudy or at night?
Our green charcoal briquettes serve as the perfect backup fuel. Because the solar stove requires very little fuel to maintain heat, households use a fraction of a briquette to cook complete meals even when solar radiation is low.
How are green charcoal briquettes made?
Our team collects non-hazardous organic waste and crop residues across the settlement. The biomass is carbonized and pressed into dense, smokeless briquettes without cutting down a single tree.
How can partners or donors support your work?
You can fund a stove for a refugee family, sponsor technical training for youth, or partner with us to scale our production facility in Nakivale. Reach out through our contact page to connect directly with our team.
What is next?
We want to make more stoves, bring them to new customers, and one day open markets in other refugee settlements in Uganda.
How can I help?
You can fund a stove, or get in touch if you would like to partner with us or visit. We read every message.