Pr o m i s i n g Ap p r o a c h e s t o en g e n d e r i n g De v e l o p m e n t Electricity, Productivity, and Empowerment in Char Montaz Char Montaz, an isolated rural island in southern the opportunity to acquire technical and business Bangladesh is the setting for a model project to skills. By targeting women, it reduced their social deliver low-cost renewable energy services. The exclusion and increased their decision-making roles project has popularized the use of renewable energy, in the community. accelerated this isolated community's access to modern lighting, and empowered women. It changed the community's perceptions of women's capabilities, breaking down the rigidly-defined Why this is a promising approach: gender division of labor and expanded women's income-earning potential. The high desirability and § Utilized community owned and demand driven interventions the visible community-wide impacts of the energy § Launched after identification of community services have gradually elevated women's status, and gender-based needs earning them the respect of their communities and § Tapped opportunities for rural women and recognition from government as providers of energy their families to generate non-farm income services. § Utilized capacity of rural women in micro- credit management A sustainable micro-enterprise § Empowered women through technical and business training and skills Opportunity for Women in Renewable Energy § Demonstrated visible and indispensable Technology (RET) Utilization in Bangladesh started community-wide benefits in 1999 with $175,000 from the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), a joint World Bank and UNDP program which supports Women deliver energy services poverty reduction and gender equality through The project trained women to manage a co-opera- sustainable energy solutions. The project's goals tively owned micro-enterprise that manufactures were to: develop a sustainable, private micro- and sells energy products: battery-operated direct enterprise model to deliver renewable energy current (DC) lamps, batteries, battery charging services, with income-generating opportunities for facilities, diesel-operated micro-grid electrification, women; and improve the government's capacity to and solar home systems. These services are in high reduce poverty and enhance economic growth demand in a region which will probably not receive through the use of RET. It was implemented by publicly-provided grid electrification for decades. Prokaushali Sangsad Limited (PSL), an engineering consulting firm based in Dhaka. Within two years, over 1,200 households, shops, and boats started using DC lamps, and 300 business Supports government's poverty strategy owners are on micro-grid services. These lamps and Bangladesh's electricity grid covered just over 15 micro-grid services improved the quality of indoor percent of all rural households. The government air and lighting; improved household and business aimed to achieve universal electrification by 2020. security; enhanced productivity; and increased However, providing electricity for close to ten incomes by 30 percent. Shops now keep longer million rural households, many of them on remote hours, fishing boats operate electrical equipment, coastal islands, proved an economic, institutional, and children spend more time on school work at and geographic challenge. Renewable energy home. technologies, a decentralized mechanism of delivery, and partnerships with NGOs were all needed to meet The project has not only brought additional income the demand for electricity in rural areas. to households and businesses, but also given women AUGUST 2002 ~ NUMBER 1 Household energy surveys recognized needs Networking among NGOs helped PSL conducted surveys on household energy use and PSL introduced the concept of off-grid electrification to alternatives for sustainable off-grid rural electrifica- NGOs working in the region for over a decade. These tion. These surveys were carried out by female NGOs helped to involve local stakeholders and decision- engineers from Dhaka, who learned from women in makers in the initial consultations. They were also impor- Char Montaz about their needs as providers and tant in the selection of the women entrepreneurs, who had users of household energy. previously been secluded in their households, with no access to market or formal employment. Many of them had demon- Very few households surveyed used battery-charged strated entrepreneurial skills as participants in micro-credit DC lamps, and nearly 95 percent relied on kerosene schemes implemented by NGOs. PSL trained them in lanterns and kupis (cans of kerosene with wicks assembly, quality control and marketing of DC lamps, stuck to them) for lighting. Kerosene is known to batteries, and solar panels, and business development. reduce indoor air quality, increase the risk of eye, nose, and throat irritation, and cause respiratory Project moves to second phase ailments, such as bronchitis and lung cancer. Kero- The co-operative decided to implement credit schemes at its sene lamps are also fire hazards. own risk, and since many of the consumers were known to the women, they experienced high rates of return. With "When I first started work in the Women's DC credit sales the market for products grew. Lamp Enterprise, the conservative local elite group wanted to close us down in the pretext Phase II, launched in May 2002, has expanded the credit that women are breaking the religious/social schemes. The DC lamp manufacturing is being scaled up to norms by going out of the household and meet demand beyond the islands in the region, and the working in a public space. Now they are the micro-enterprise will diversify with new electronic product ones who are buying our lamps and energy assembly for solar home systems. The government also services." - Runu Begum, member of co-operative plans to procure DC lamps for its programs. Critical partners for energy service delivery The project is following a business plan to reach financial Household work, including collection of fuelwood stability. PSL plans to withdraw in two years, as it expects and other energy sources, often falls on women and the co-operative will have become a self-supported and girls, in contrast to income-generating farming growing small and medium scale enterprise in a national activities which are shared by men and women. market for RET. Indoor work exposes women and children to air pollution from inefficient stoves, biomass fuels, and This approach has inspired others kerosene. The survey concluded that their experi- · Bangladesh: PSL aims to use this approach in other ence as providers and users of household energy parts of rural Bangladesh in need of electrification. made women's participation important for the · Bangladesh: The lessons from this initiative were delivery of healthy and renewable energy in the incorporated in the IDA/GEF-funded Rural and community. Renewable Electrification Project. · Ghana: PSL is the consultant for a project to The gender-based division of labor and social norms empower women in two villages through energy also limited women's access to education and non- service delivery. farm income. For example, less than half of the Who to contact for more information: women selected to run the co-operative had com- § Nilufar Ahmad, Task Manager pleted primary education, and none of them had nilufarahmad@worldbank.org been employed in the formal sector. Consultations § Asma Huque, PSL with women revealed that they faced social barriers psl@bd.drik.net that restricted their mobility and income earning § Dominique M. Lallement, ESMAP potential. A women-run enterprise, providing much- dlallement@worldbank.org needed energy products, was more likely than others § UNDP contact: to confront such barriers successfully. susan.mcdade@undp.org Promising Approaches to Engendering Development notes showcase gender-responsive, innovative approaches to gender and development, applicable across regions and sectors. For more information please visit www.worldbank.org/gender or send an e-mail to gnetwork@worldbank.org