Organization: Solar Cookers International

All Photos Solar Cookers International; harnessing the sun to benefit people and the environment.

Focus Areas:	Children, Disaster Relief, Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights, Poverty
Countries Served:	Ethiopia Kenya Chad United States Zimbabwe

Description of Services:
SCI has four program areas. 1. International Program Development empowers local women, their families and communities to benefit from free solar energy for cooking and pasteurizing water. 2. Advocacy, SCI works with other solar cooking promoters to build awareness and support for solar cooking and solar water pasteurization. 4. The Educational Resources program compiles solar cooking and solar water pasteurization information, and shares that information with individuals and organizations worldwide. 5. The Humanitarian Assistance programs, in partnership with other relief agencies, have assisted refugees in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Chad with solar cooking tools, training, and follow-up services.
History:
Based in Sacramento, California since 1987, SCI opened an office in Nairobi in 1998 to serve eastern Africa. In the last eighteen years, Solar Cookers International has provided unique services as an international clearinghouse for solar cooker information, facilitating information exchange and networking among thousands of independent solar cooker experts and advocates worldwide. SCI responds to over a thousand inquiries per year, providing technical consultation tailored to individual needs. SCI has sponsored several international and regional conferences on solar cookers and was co-sponsor of the 2006 International Solar Cooker Conference in Granada, Spain.
Accomplishments & Progress:
SCI's refugee camp projects empowered 25,000 families in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia between 1995 and 2003. Recent reports from Zimbabwe indicate that 40,000 cookers have been sold in the vicinity of Harare and Bulawayo since 1998. For 19 years, SCI has pioneered innovations in solar cooker technology and dissemination processes. SCI is now recognized as the leading source of information on solar cooking and solar water pasteurization worldwide. We have documented high acceptance, health benefits, and fuel savings averaging one-third.