Geres (Myanmar / Morocco)
Geres is an international development NGO that works to improve the living conditions of the poor and tackle the causes and impact of climate change. The energy transition is a major focus for Geres. In the interest of ambitious societal change, they encourage the development and rollout of innovative, locally based solutions, support territorial climate and energy policies and mobilise all stakeholders around climate solidarity, urging them to take action and stand up for the most vulnerable.
In 2020/2021, the Eurofins Foundation provided Geres with a donation to support a project entitled “Women's entrepreneurship, a source of energy in rural Myanmar”, which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, as well as promote local economic development through the dissemination of sustainable energy solutions (SEDs) to isolated rural populations in Myanmar.
Through the creation of a social business which gathers female entrepreneurs that sell improved cookstoves, certified solar products and electric cooking appliances, local communities can have access to cleaner energy sources. These solutions allow 12,000 households (or 50,000 people) to benefit from financial savings and better health outcomes, as well as help the environment through the reduced consumption of firewood and fewer CO² emissions. The project also contributes to strengthening the economic empowerment of women in rural communities.
More specifically, the Eurofins Foundation’s grant supported 16 women, who became distribution entrepreneurs, and 3,560 households that are now using more economical cooking methods.
In 2021/2022, the Eurofins Foundation supported the programme “Improving learning conditions for children in the Moroccan Atlas”.
Midelt is a rural province located more than 1,500m above sea level in the Atlas Mountains, where winters are harsh and snowfalls frequent. Buildings in the area are often cold and poorly insulated.
A Geres study conducted in 2018 in the province's schools revealed the need for improvements to the energy efficiency of these buildings to improve the learning environment for pupils. These buildings drain the budgets of the institutions and parents, who sometimes offer their own meagre resources to purchase fuel (4°C is the lowest temperature recorded on winter mornings in the classrooms).
The Eurofins Foundation’ support has contributed to a strengthened consideration of energy and climate issues in the territory at all levels and has in particular made it possible to:
- Improve well-being and thermal comfort through the energy renovation of a boarding school with 71 students;
- Encourage the emergence of an eco-construction and sustainable building sector: 12 artisans benefited from practical training in insulation installation techniques and 2 architects were supported to take energy efficiency into account in architectural studies;
- Strengthen the capacities of 40 decision-makers and technical staff in the institutions, to initiate the implementation of sustainable construction projects;
- Support 10 local associations to take energy and climate issues into account in their activities;
- Raise awareness among 688 students/educators to encourage them to adopt eco-citizen lifestyles within and outside their schools, for better ownership of buildings and for a sustainable and appropriate use of energy sources.
This project contributes to the following United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
