ENERGY POVERTY IS NOT JUST A KITCHEN PROBLEM

To think that energy poverty just ends in the kitchen, is a mistake; Energy poverty can be one of the causes of marriage breakdowns, violence agaisnst women , spread of HIV and increased number of orphans.

MARRIAGE BREAK DOWN

In an african culture, it is usually women who do the cooking and every man expects well cooked food from his wife. Not well cooked food prepared by a wife may result in family squables which may translate into breakup. But the cuase of the uncooked food may not be that the wife is not a good a cook but becuase sha had no enough firewood.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Just like illustrated above, some husbands can bit their wives becuase of not well prepared meals yet the reason is lack of firewood.

Another case is where women go to distant forests to fetch firewood, some forest guards can entice the women to exchange sexual services for firewood.

SPREAD OF HIV AND INCREASED NUMBER OF ORPHANS

Marriage breakdown as already illustrated can lead to the spread of HIV in a case where one remarries without knowing his/her HIV serostatus.

Incidents where women can be raped in forests while fetching firewood or cases where women are enticed to exchange sexual services for firewood; can lead to the spread of HIV which may again result in an increased number of orphans.

WAY FORWARD

We need to think seriously about the issue of energy poverty. Deforestation issue is beyond climate change...even before climate change is immense, lives may have already been claimed.