{"id":4816,"date":"2026-10-22T10:03:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T10:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=4816"},"modified":"2026-10-22T10:03:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T10:03:36","slug":"937-households-in-eastern-rwanda-receive-biogas-systems-to-reduce-firewood-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/22\/937-households-in-eastern-rwanda-receive-biogas-systems-to-reduce-firewood-use\/politics\/national\/","title":{"rendered":"937 households in eastern Rwanda receive biogas systems to reduce firewood use"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"767\" height=\"548\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/55600077462_50e88bbe47_k-1-767x548-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4817\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/55600077462_50e88bbe47_k-1-767x548-1.jpg 767w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/55600077462_50e88bbe47_k-1-767x548-1-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A total of 937 households in Rwanda\u2019s Eastern Province have received biogas systems designed to reduce their reliance on firewood and provide an alternative source of cooking fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The systems were handed over to the province by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at a ceremony in Rwamagana district on Tuesday. According to the project information, 500 households in Rwamagana and Ngoma districts benefited, alongside another 437 in Gatsibo district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HomeBiogas Ltd installed the systems, which use animal waste to produce gas for cooking. The residue can also be used as organic fertiliser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For some beneficiaries, the technology has reduced household expenses and the time spent collecting firewood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nyirantura Saverina, a resident of Muhazi sector in Rwamagana district, said her children previously spent long periods looking for firewood, sometimes making it difficult to maintain their normal school routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said the new system allows them to prepare breakfast before school without having to start a traditional fire, reducing their exposure to cooking smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Gatsibo district, Johnson Kamanzi said his household previously spent about 10,000 Rwandan francs a month buying firewood. Since adopting biogas, he said, the family\u2019s firewood consumption has fallen to between 10% and 20% of its previous level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kamanzi also helps other residents understand how to use biogas systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eastern Province Governor Pudence Rubingisa said the initiative offered households a way to turn livestock waste into a useful resource while gaining access to alternative cooking energy. He urged beneficiaries to maintain their equipment and called for the project to reach more families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"767\" height=\"548\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Fatmata-Lovette-Sesay.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Fatmata-Lovette-Sesay.jpg 767w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Fatmata-Lovette-Sesay-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UNDP Resident Representative in Rwanda Fatmata Lovetta Sesay said clean cooking programmes should improve people&#8217;s daily lives by reducing exposure to smoke and the time women and girls spend collecting firewood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A senior technical adviser at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Gen. B. Cesar, said the project&#8217;s long-term success would depend on whether the systems continued to function and households could use them properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Project partners have agreed on arrangements for repairs, maintenance and follow-up support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ceremony also featured research findings on biogas and methane emissions conducted with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Equity Bank and other private-sector partners participated in discussions on financing options to extend clean cooking technologies to more households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The initiative forms part of Rwanda&#8217;s efforts to promote cleaner cooking methods and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HVF9k9JXAAAIug5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HVF9k9JXAAAIug5.jpg 680w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/HVF9k9JXAAAIug5-300x188.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A total of 937 households in Rwanda\u2019s Eastern Province have received biogas systems designed to reduce their reliance on firewood and provide an alternative source [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,34,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-national","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4816"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4820,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4816\/revisions\/4820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}