Cooks prepare food using briquettes at Nile Vocational Institute in Buikwe District on March 17, 2023. PHOTO/DENIS EDEMA
The air smelled of dry earth, and the sun baked the landscape, but the scene that awaited me was one of promise: stacks of muddy bricks at the entrance, wire mesh racks that hold briquettes while they are dried under the sun, and a modest storage building housing a range of fuel alternatives.
This is not just about making briquettes but about providing cleaner, sustainable cooking options for a region grappling with deforestation and rising energy demands.
To truly understand its impact, I had to dig into the story of SWEDO’s founder and the vision that brought this initiative to life.
Kiiza’s back story
As a trained neurodevelopment economist from Makerere University, Maria Kiiza’s journey into community development started long before she graduated in 2008. Even as a student, she found herself drawn to voluntary organisations, sneaking out of class to immerse herself in community initiatives. “I loved community work,” she says.
Her first major step into this realm was with the National Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads), where she volunteered to train farmers and implement model village projects.
This early exposure laid a foundation for her career, leading her to the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). There, she transitioned from administration into project management, overseeing initiatives in education, agriculture, and agribusiness.
It was at KOICA in 2012 that Kiiza was introduced to the Korean Saemaul Undong Movement, a development initiative launched in South Korean in 1970. The programme is credited with spurring economic and social development in rural areas of South Korea.
“Uganda has the same potential. We just need the right mindset and that is self-help, diligence, and cooperation,” she reflects.
Inspired by these principles, she began envisioning how she could contribute to her community beyond her official roles.
Starting
In 2016, she founded SWEDO, driven by a desire to empower women economically. Starting as a small savings group of 15 women in Wakiso District, the organisation encouraged members to save and invest in small businesses. However, challenges arose --- defaults on loans, unsustainable investments, and disruptions caused by Covid-19.
“During the pandemic, many women in my community lost their livelihoods. It was a turning point. I realised we needed to shift from just saving to creating sustainable income-generating activities,” the green energy activist says.
This shift led to numerous experiments. From mushroom farming to refashioning old clothes, Kiiza introduced various initiatives. Yet, some failed due to a lack of resources or sustainability.
“Failure taught us resilience. Then came the idea of briquettes as an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to charcoal. I had always had the idea and had even introduced it in some of my projects while I was still employed. It was time to go into it full swing,” she says.
Drawing on her previous work in renewable energy, Kiiza introduced briquette making to the group. Starting with a single manual machine purchased from their pooled savings, the women began producing honeycomb briquettes.
“The initial setup was simple - a 50x50 plot in my compound with open drying spaces. Despite setbacks like rain damaging our briquettes, the group persevered,” she recalls.
By 2021, SWEDO had evolved into a social enterprise, registered as SWEDO Innovations Limited. The organisation now focuses on clean energy solutions, training women and youth in briquette production while promoting clean cooking technologies. After Covid-19 hit, many youth were left out of school due to a lack of school fees. What was initially a women's organisation added youth to push clean cooking forward.
Making briquettes
The emphasis on the green sector arises from a career rooted in environmentally sustainable practices, including work with organisations such as KOICA and Global Green Growth Institute, where she learnt about capacity building and project management. These experiences have underscored her importance of balancing environmental, social, and economic concerns.
The briquette-making process relies on carbonised agricultural and organic waste, such as coffee husks, maize cobs, and cassava peelings. Sourcing involves working with communities and suppliers, often employing youth to carbonise and deliver materials to the site.
“Cassava flour serves as a natural binder, with even its peelings boiled for starch extraction. This local approach minimises waste while creating value from discarded materials,” she says.
Environmental benefits
Briquettes offer a dual advantage. That is reusing waste that would otherwise harm the environment and providing an affordable, clean energy source. These smokeless alternatives reduce indoor air pollution, benefiting household health, particularly for women who spend significant time cooking.
The shift to briquettes also curtails deforestation by reducing dependence on firewood and traditional charcoal.
Households
Most households prefer smaller, portable briquettes for daily cooking. The briquettes used are mainly the smaller ones and are two or more times more lasting than charcoal or firewood. The other advantage is that they are smokeless, making them safer to use even in the house. Seven pieces of small briquettes worth Shs1,000 works better than a Shs2,000 can of charcoal.
Kiiza adds that schools, restaurants, and poultry farmers benefit from larger honeycomb briquettes, which burn longer and are cost-effective. One large honeycomb briquette costs about Shs2,000 and takes about six hours of burning.
Cost comparisons show briquettes outperform traditional fuels like firewood in affordability and efficiency. For example, a school can save millions of shillings per term by switching to briquettes, even accounting for the cost of improved stoves.
While briquettes serve as an affordable clean cooking option, Kiiza believes the larger narrative includes other renewable energy solutions such as solar power.
She also reveals that small businesses such as chapati vendors and poultry farmers are using briquettes. Testimonials highlight improved affordability and convenience, with one vendor transitioning entirely to briquette use.
Future
Kiiza is looking to partner with development organisations such as GIZ, the UK government, and the European Union to help increase its impact.
Her passion extends beyond her enterprise. She actively participates in exhibitions, collaborates with other innovators, and champions policies that promote clean energy transitions.
“We are advocating for a shift from unsustainable fuels like charcoal to cleaner, affordable alternatives,” she explains.
The journey has not been without challenges --- securing funding, navigating complex policies, and ensuring consistent training for women, yet Maria remains undeterred.
