Women play a critical role in the adoption of clean cooking solutions. The document discusses best practices for empowering women across the clean cooking value chain, from product design to distribution. It provides examples of organizations that have successfully integrated women by conducting gender analyses, involving women in testing and marketing, training women as entrepreneurs and technicians, and establishing financing programs tailored for women. Empowering women in the sector can enhance adoption, generate economic opportunities for women, and maximize social and development impacts.

1. GENDER AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN THE CLEAN
COOKING SECTOR
SCALING ADOPTION OF CLEAN COOKING SOLUTIONS THROUGH WOMEN’S
EMPOWERMENT

2. Why does the sector need to
focus on women and gender
issues?
Women, as the users, will ultimately determine use and
adoption
Women entrepreneurs are an untapped resource
– Women are the fastest growing cohort of
entrepreneurs and business owners in many
developing countries
Women entrepreneurs can better reach female consumer
segments and increase overall sales
Women can enhance development impacts
– Women reinvest 90% of their earnings back into
their families and communities
Has anyone seen evidence of this first hand?
Let’s share a few experiences.

3. Gender-informed practices have two important
outcomes for the clean cooking sector:

4. So if we know it is critical, why isn’t everyone focused on
it? What are the challenges around scaling women’s
empowerment, entrepreneurship, and addressing gender?
Capacity of implementing
organizations to address gender
and women’s entrepreneurship
needs to be strengthened:
- Resource Guide
- Gender capacity building through
Capacity Development Facility
- Empowered Entrepreneur Training
Handbook
Financing needed for gender
components of cookstove and
fuel projects:
- Women’s Empowerment Fund
Need increased evidence of
the specific gender impacts
in the sector:
- 3 gender studies recently
released
- Applied research and M&E
for Alliance grants

5. Value chain :
– Best practice for integrating women into each
segment
– Case studies that show application of best practices
– Linking best practices with tools and resources
• All tools can be downloaded at
www.cleancookstoves.org/gender
PRODUCT
DESIGN PRODUCTION
CONSUMER
FINANCE
SUPPLIER
FINANCE DISTRIBUTION
AFTER-SALES
SERVICE

6. Universal Best Practices
• Conduct analysis to understand gender roles and dynamics in a
community
• Develop a strategy to engage men
• Schedule times and locations of meetings/activities around
women’s availability and remain flexible
• Identify and build strong local partnerships with trusted individuals
and organizations; Strongly consider working with women’s groups
• Conduct gender sensitive training on relevant topics; Offer
continuous training opportunities and mentorship
• Examples of interesting tools:
– Tips for conducting a gender analysis at the activity or project level
– Toolkit on engaging men and boys
– Monitoring form for measuring sustainability of women’s groups
– Business training toolkit for women

7. PRODUCT
DESIGN
Women’s input in design
is critical. Engaging
women can help
generate demand,
create appropriate
products, and increase
adoption.
Best Practices
• Conduct household
questionnaires and surveys, as
well as one on one discussions
• Conduct expert interviews
• Conduct focus group discussions
• Conduct cookstove
performance tests with users in
the field to ensure performance
• Observe women cooking on
both their traditional cookstoves
and with the improved models
• Conduct cookstove field trials
and gather feedback

8. EcoZoom Case Study
• Focus group discussions
 Explore market needs and design concepts with women-only and mixed
gender groups
• Controlled cooking tests
 Functionality and efficiency
• In-home cookstove trials
 Testing with 5-10 women for 1-2 months,
frequent visits
• Small-scale pilots with 100-500 women cooks
 Gather data to reveal trends and inform
modifications
• One-on-one discussions
 Feedback for modifications and improvements
• Engaging men
 Consult with male village leaders before entering community
 One-on-one discussions
 Include in field testing

9. Best Practices
• Integrate livelihood
opportunities for women
in manufacturing
processes that involve
producing components
locally
• Work with women’s
groups or create groups of
women to scale efforts,
build capacity, and provide
a support system
• Provide training on quality
assurance and quality
control; Provide
production manuals
PRODUCTION
Women can be
economically empowered
in the production of clean
cookstoves. As producers,
women become experts in
the products they use
regularly and are likely to
further help generate
awareness and demand
among a wider cadre of
consumers.

10. GERES Case Study
• Focus group discussions
 Explore market needs and
design concepts with women-only and
mixed gender groups
• Controlled cooking tests
 Functionality and efficiency
• In-home cookstove trials
 Testing with 5-10 women for 1-2 months,
frequent visits
• Small-scale pilots with 100-500 women cooks
 Gather data to reveal trends and inform
modifications
• One-on-one discussions
 Feedback for modifications and improvements
• Engaging men
 Consult with male village leaders before entering community
 One-on-one discussions
 Include in field testing

11. Best Practices
• Educate women’s groups
on how to access consumer
finance as a group
• Emphasize money
management and savings in
trainings
• Consider flexible repayment
plans, micro-consignment,
or rent-to-own schemes
• Consider providing
consumer finance directly
through the project or
develop partnerships to
provide direct access to
credit for product purchases
• If working with financial
institutions, provide support
to make them comfortable
lending to women, as well
as education working with
women clients
CONSUMER
FINANCE
Consumer finance options
enable women to
purchase clean cooking
solutions. When diverse
finance options are
available to purchase
expensive products,
consumer have more
purchasing power and are
able to consider higher-
priced, but better quality
options.

12. SEWA Case Study
• Consider flexible repayment plans
 Purchase improved cookstove and solar lantern through installment
payments
• Provide consumer finance directly through partnerships to provide direct
access to credit for product purchases
 Partner with IFC to provide
accessible loans to purchase
clean energy products
• Support financial institutions
through education on working
with women clients
 Set up information systems
and processes to manage loans
 Training staff to better serve
rural women

13. Best Practices
• Train women borrowers on
financial management and
provide mentorship
• Ensure women have equal
access to innovative
finance mechanisms
• When working with
financial institutions,
provide financial support to
reduce their risk lending to
cooking sector businesses;
Conduct education and
advocacy to lend to women
energy entrepreneurs
• Organize women borrowers
into groups or networks in
order to access and/or
repay loans more efficiently
• Create flexible terms such
as low interest rates and
small repayment
SUPPLIER
FINANCE
Women-led businesses have
a unique role to play in the
cooking sector. They have
direct access to
consumers and can expand
access to a variety of clean
cooking products. Women-led
businesses are often unable
to obtain loans or connect
directly with investors, and
need training to support their
business and its growth.

14. Negros Women for Tomorrow
Foundation (NWTF) Case Study
• Create flexible terms
 Women have the option of selecting 6 or 12-month loan terms
• Organize women borrowers into groups or networks to access loans
 Energy loan repayments made on a weekly basis at usual group meetings
• Ensure women have equal access to innovative finance mechanisms
 Clients can take out more than one loan at a time, and the exact number
depends on their credit record
 Ensures clients are not forced to choose between investing in improved energy
and accessing financing for their critical working capital needs
Credit: nwtf.org

15. DISTRIBUTION
Women can be the key
to scaling distribution.
Women have access to
hard-to-reach
households, can utilize
woman-to- woman
marketing techniques,
and are trusted
promoters of
household products
among their peers.
Best Practices
• Create selection criteria
• Create market maps and emphasize
customer service within trainings
• Offer trial periods
• Provide an entrepreneur starter
package
• Use gender-informed marketing
messages/methods
• Create a tiered system of
accountability
• Provide incentives
• Provide opportunities for successful
women to share their experiences
and take on leadership roles
• Engage intermediaries and work
with men to provide transportation
support
• Create central product hubs

16. VERC Case Study
• Create selection criteria
 Targets set for # of women entrepreneurs; ~60% of
employees women
 Engaging women field workers who have access to user
kitchens (access by others is limited due to socio-cultural
constraints)
• Use gender-informed marketing messages/methods
 Employs participatory assessment to achieve community buy-in and raise
awareness. Including courtyard meetings for households; school sessions;
film showings for entrepreneurs
• Offer continuous training opportunities
 Capacity build of project staff and community catalysts for demand creation
and social marketing
 Training on Entrepreneurship Development, including empowerment and
leadership training with women entrepreneurs (forthcoming)
 Conduct workshops to share best practice around women’s empowerment
with partner organizations and other relevant stakeholders
• Identify and build strong local partnerships
 Community action committees as entry point into new communities
Credit: verc.org

17. Kopernik Case Study
• Provide an entrepreneur starter package
 Women receive the technology on consignment and earn a margin
on each sale
• Offer continuous training opportunities
 Training and mentoring program to empower women with key
business and product knowledge
• Provide opportunities for successful women
 Wonder women’s empowerment journey: from joining, undergoing
training, running businesses, receiving mentoring, to graduating from
the program
• Create selection criteria
 Local woman as both sales agents and empowered micro-social
entrepreneurs to optimize their integral role in the community and
maximize empowerment

18. AFTER-SALES
SERVICE
Women are well-
positioned to ensure
proper maintenance and
care of improved cooking
solutions. Woman- to-
woman knowledge
transfer in maintenance
is often more effective
than man-to-woman
knowledge transfer,
particularly in
conservative
communities. Women
have direct access to
users.
Best Practices
• Offer product trial periods
• Provide support networks
and oversight
• Provide warranties with
women servicing repair
and/ or maintenance needs
• Emphasize technology,
repair, after-sales, and
customer service within
trainings
• Create central energy hubs
where maintenance and
service can take place
• Encourage the use of or
provide mobile phones
*Tool Examples:
• Warranty Examples
• How to Create an Upesi Stove Guide

19. SURE Case Study
• Provide warranties
 Women entrepreneurs provide after-sales services
• Product trial periods
 Potential customers offered 8-day trial to test products
• Emphasize technology, repair, after-sales, and customer service within
trainings
 Training includes repair, maintenance, and customer service
 Place orders using mobile phones
• Provide support networks and oversight
 Establish women-led energy hubs for production, distribution, and
after-sales service
• Engaging men
 Ensure family endorsement when selecting women entrepreneurs

20. A Call to Action
Partners can continuously and actively:
– Understand gender dynamics
– Be flexible and considerate of women’s availability
– Build strong local partnerships
– Create livelihoods that work for women
– Train, mentor, and train again
– Be innovative
Alliance commitment:
- Finance women’s empowerment projects and help scale
successful approaches
- Gender capacity building in Alliance’s Capacity Development
Facility
- Provide support and guidance on M&E
- Continue to build evidence