A project on renewable energy use for climate change mitigation has recently been launched at Muyako village in the Zambezi region in Namibia.
The two-year project, which began in March 2017 will run until February next year. The Namibia Red Cross Society (NRCS) in partnership with the Spanish Red Cross, and the European Union (EU) are funding the project. The project aims to promote the use of various forms of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.
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The project will construct 200 energy-saving cooking stoves. It will also distribute 200 solar lamps to 200 families, and install energy-efficient irrigation water pumps for irrigation.
Improve livelihoods
According to the EU representative Achim Schaffert, this project will go a long in improving the livelihoods of the selected beneficiary rural communities.
“In view of its own history and experience, the European Union is convinced that pioneering ventures that provide access to appropriate sustainable energy technologies stimulate local investment including job creation, and improves the quality of education, thus contributing to poverty reduction,” said Schaffert.
The EU wants to support government to reduce the vulnerability of the rural population to the adverse impact of climate change through developing, testing and disseminating solutions and practices.
Project chairperson in Zambezi Region Innocent Mahoto said they will work very hard to ensure that community members are educated and trained on the advantages of using renewable energy.
“We believe that information is power, so we are going to work with communities to ensure that they have relevant information on climate change to enable them to make informed decisions,” said Mahoto.
Speaking at the same occasion Zambezi Governor Lawrence Sampofu called on community members to improve their livelihood so as to reduce poverty.
