Sustainable Energy Skills Training to favor Youth’s Empowerment

PROJECT TITLE: Sustainable Energy Skills Training to favor Youth’s Empowerment

Acronym: (SESYE)

PROJECT BACKGROUND
Uganda is richly endowed with abundant energy resources, which are fairly distributed throughout the country. These include hydro power, biomass, solar, geothermal, peat and fossil fuels. The energy resource potential of the country includes an estimated 2,000 MW of hydro power, 450 MW of geothermal, 1,650 MW of biomass co generation, 460 million tons of biomass standing stock with a sustainable annual yield of 50 million tons, an average of 5.1 kWh/m2 of solar energy, and about 250 Million tons of peat (800 MW).The overall renewable energy power generation potential is estimated to be 5,300 MW.
Biomass is the predominant type of energy used in Uganda, accounting for 94% of the total energy consumption in the country. Wood fuels are largely used for cooking in rural areas while charcoal mostly provides for the cooking needs of the urban population. High demand for wood fuels used inefficiently results in overuse and depletion of forests. In 2012, 14.1% of Uganda’s land area was covered with forest. The land available is becoming scarce and households prefer to use the land for food crops rather than planting trees. Since 1990 the forested area decreased from 49,240 km² down to 29,880 km². This means that from 1990 until 2016 more than 19,360 km², equaling 39 % of the existing forest disappeared. Currently about 90,000 hectares (equals 900 km²) of forest cover are lost annually, which leads to fuel wood scarcity in rural areas and increasing price levels of charcoal and fuel wood. Between 2010 and 2018 the charcoal price rose at an enormous nominal rate of 14% per year. In addition, illegal cutting of trees increases.
A total of 93% of rural youths institutions and households without access to sustainable energy are currently using traditional energy technologies such as candles or kerosene lamps that give poor quality lighting, emit noxious fumes and present hazards in terms of fires or burns (in particular for youths and small children). Furthermore, the majority of social youth institutions (e.g. schools, vocational institutes and health centers) in rural areas do not have access to sustainable energy, which leads to inferior health and education services. Lack of access to sustainable energy also severely constrains youth’s education and economic empowerment in rural areas, preventing the establishment of Sustainable youth entrepreneurship projects and businesses that require sustainable energy forcing youth entrepreneurs to buy diesel or petrol generators that are costly to operate and negatively impact the environment. Furthermore, Youth job creation is being seriously constrained by the lack of adequate investment in the provision of rural infrastructure services, of which sustainable energy (electricity) is a key component. Lack of sustainable energy also prevents youth access to information and communication technologies (e.g. mobile phones, computers, and internet). This contributes to further isolation of rural area youths from the rest of the country. Further, the quality of youth rural life is hampered by lack of sustainable energy, particularly as rural public institutions such as health, educational and water facilities would be able to provide better services if they had access to sustainable energy sources.

STATEMENT OF NEED
Majority of Youths social institutions (for example Vocational schools and health centers) in rural areas do not have access to Sustainable energy sources, which leads to inferior health and education services. Furthermore, a total of 93% of youths in rural households without access to sustainable energy are currently using traditional lighting technologies such as candles or kerosene lamps that give poor quality lighting, emit noxious fumes and present hazards in terms of fires or burns (in particular for small children).
Lack of sustainable energy also severely constrains the educational and economic development of youths in rural areas of Uganda, preventing the establishment of education centers and businesses that require sustainable energy. Lack of sustainable energy in terms of electricity also prevents access to information and communication technologies (e.g. mobile phones, computers, and internet). This contributes to further isolation of youths in rural areas from the rest of the country. There is need to provide exposure and train youths in rural vocational institutes and youth groups in sustainable up-to-date Sustainable Energy technologies. This shall increase rural area youth’s involvement in the sustainable energy sector; youth shall also live quality life as they shall gain skills in sustainable energy sources that shall particularly help rural public institutions such as health centers, educational and water facilities. Youth shall also be encouraged on the uptake of renewable energy as an employment creation venture.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES
• To provide up to date skills and practices to rural Area youths in up to date sustainable energy technology methods and trends
• To train energy Education sector youths in better and excellent entrepreneurship skills within the Sustainable energy sector
• To Discus on the different channels within which youths education sector can implement new and up to date sustainable energy technology methods onto their curriculum.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES
• The project shall pave a way of implementing new and up-to-date Sustainable energy practices and skills training programs on to the vocational institute curriculum.
• The project shall provide an improved sustainable renewable energy mindset amongst the youth, increase youth involvement in sustainable renewable energy projects and practices.
• The project shall increase youth involvement in entrepreneurship of new and up to date sustainable renewable energy technologies.
• It shall also enhance youth livelihood through access to sustainable and new improved methods of renewable energy technologies that shall aid in access to education, the internet and communication facilities

ACTIVITIES

• Dissemination, Preparation and Kickoff meeting in lead partner country.
• Understanding local situation, Research Local situation and Reporting best practices to analyze selection
• Trainers training including workshops for capacity building and Educators empowerment in up to date sustainable energy skills and practices in partner countries
• Final meetings of assessment and closing.

NB:
1. With in this project we focus on training and exposing rural area sustainable energy youth vocational groups’ trainers and youth renewable energy group representatives to improvements in the energy sector, up to date best practices of how to gain maximum efficiency in their energy projects and giving them the best skills in entrepreneurship of various sustainable energy technologies. These in turn shall share the knowledge with their respective youth vocational group’s group members.

2. We are looking for a lead partner organisation that can submit in the project on our behalf.