Energy
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Access to safe and sustainable energy is a basic human need. Without it, the forcibly displaced – particularly women and children – may be at increased risk and have less time to rebuild their lives.
At UNHCR, we are committed to addressing the energy needs of refugees, improving access to sustainable fuel, powering health centres and utilizing solar-powered lighting.
Your vital support helps us to make their lives shine brighter every day.
In 2014, we launched a global strategy for Safe Access to Fuels and Energy (SAFE). The SAFE strategy offers crucial guidance and details innovative approaches and technologies, including clean or fuel-efficient cookers, alternative and sustainable fuels, and solar-powered lighting.
Improving access to a clean and sustainable source of energy can transform broken lives. It can power health centres and ensure that life-saving medication is refrigerated. Street lighting allows people to move around camps in greater safety at night, particularly women and girls, and solar-powered lamps mean they can work, cook, study, socialize and continue with their lives long after the sun has gone down. Additionally, with a clean, sustainable fuel, or fuel-efficient technologies, refugees can cook meals and avert the malnutrition and ill-health that may occur when using open fires.