Tendering Firewood

Handling firewood is not an easy task. It needs years of experience and patience plays a huge part! But what is purchased makes a huge impact in the performance of the institutional improved cook stove (IICS)

Firewood suppliers may deliver fuel that is unsuitable for efficient combustion. Wet or oversized wood reduces the performance of the rocket IICS, increases smoke emissions, lengthens cooking times, and leads users to believe that the stove is not performing as intended.

Another challenge is ensuring consistency of supply. Firewood availability changes with the seasons, especially during rainy periods when drying is more difficult. Suppliers may initially provide high-quality dry wood but later substitute it with freshly cut or partially dried wood to meet delivery schedules. This inconsistency affects kitchen operations and makes fuel consumption unpredictable.

Selecting the lowest-priced bidder does not always produce the lowest cooking cost. Cheap, low-quality firewood often contains more moisture and less usable energy, meaning larger quantities are required to cook the same meals. Schools may therefore spend more over time despite paying a lower purchase price. This is why at Simoshi we not only train schools to build a storage place for their firewood , preparing their purchases well in advance to ensure the appropriate drying time is provided, but also consider fuel quality and energy value with the same importance as that of the initial cost.

Digital Monitoring Launched

Digital MRV stands for Digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification. It is a modern way of collecting evidence that a carbon project is achieving the emissions reductions it claims.

Since 2016 we relied heavily on field staff visiting schools, interviewing cooks, checking logbooks, and estimating how much firewood was being saved. This approach is accepted by carbon standards, and it is expensive, time-consuming, because we do a CENSUS approach, meaning all the institutional improved cook stoves (IICS) are inspected 6 times every year.

With heat sensors installed in all of the IICS, the project can now automatically record information such as:

• When a stove is used.

• How long it is used.

• How frequently it is used.

• Whether the stove is actually operating throughout the school term, and on holiday periods.

They do not directly measure carbon emissions or firewood consumption. Instead, they support the existing hard data collected in the field and provide reliable evidence that the IICS are being used consistently. This information can then be combined with other data from the physical visits, such as firewood consumption measurements and the project’s approved carbon methodology, to calculate emissions reductions more accurately.

For Simoshi, this represents an important step towards digital MRV.

Simoshi can now build a continuous digital record showing that each installed IICS is actively being used. This increases confidence in the project’s data because the information comes directly from the equipment rather than only from interviews and manual records.

For our carbon finance project, digital MRV can have several benefits:

• It improves the quality and credibility of the monitoring data submitted during carbon credit verification.

• It helps identify schools where IICS are not being used as expected, allowing Simoshi to provide maintenance or additional training before problems affect carbon credit generation.

• It provides stronger evidence to carbon standards, verifiers, and carbon credit buyers that the project is delivering real and measurable climate benefits.

Stones in the Past, Efficiency Today, Electricity Tomorrow

Time is what allows us to put things into perspective, measuring how efforts have made a real impact. When we first visited Bbira Primary School, we found them cooking with 3-stone fires. Since 2016 and with the introduction of the energy efficient institutional improved cook stoves (IICS), the school has been cooking for over a decade with the IICS, allowing them to save at least 50% of their firewood expenditures.

Today, we are working hard to have this school (and all other 120 schools included under Simoshi’s Project Activity) move up the energy ladder by using induction electric stoves. Throughout the end of 2025 and all of this year, we have successfully tested the technology at St. Gyaviira Primary School. We expect to have Bbira Primary also transitioning in 2027.

We wanted to share the passing of time, that beautifully reflects the success story of finding the same cook, Ms. Joyce, we once found struggling with dangerous flames and smoke as she prepared the children’s food at Bbira. As we continue to monitor the kitchen and repair all their IICS every year for free, pictures below reflect the happiness of always finding her there, enjoying a healthier kitchen environment. With some more wrinkles and wiser minds, we cannot wait to see her enjoy the wonders of electricity in a near future.

3-Phase Connectivity is LIVE!

The “School Special Tariff” approved by the Electricity Regulatory Authority is now officially in operation, and our first school to get access to it and enjoy the wonders of electric induction cooking is our dear St. Gyaviira Primary School.

We have been very busy these last months ensuring the connection to 3-pahse is available within the school premises. Technicians from the Ugandan Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) were diligently giving the final touches to get all cables, transformers, distribution panels and more, be in safe and ready to use conditions.

Although the school has been cooking with the induction cookers since last year, the fee paid for each KWh used was the standard rate of ugx 756. Accessing this new special tariff will mean the school will be able to save a further 35% when compared to what they currently use with their firewood isntitutional improved cook stoves (IICS). We will be closely monitoring their daily expenditures to assess in detail how best savings can be achieved, taking into account there are further cost reductions if cooking takes place in bandwidth's where off-peak tariffs apply.

There are 3 different tariffs under such school support:

• Shoulder: from 6am to 6pm at ugx 360

• Peak: from 7pm to midnight ugx 565

• Off peak: from midnight to 6am at ugx 169

Using Buckets to Serve

As food gets ready for serving, schools transfer the food from the saucepan in the institutional improved cook stove (IICS) to plastic buckets. These are then transported to the classrooms or dining area where food is individually served on the plates.

Such technique ensures that safety is maintained, as children should not be entering the kitchen. It also protects the IICS from spilling food, as it contains salt and will eventually corrode the stove metal body.

The pictures below show the daily situation where cooks are helped by children to transfer the food and carry the buckets. We wrote before about the importance of keeping children outside the cooking premises, but unfortunately staff is usually limited and have no alternative than resourcing to the help of students.

New Carbon Credit Issuance

We feel proud to announce that a new issuance of 13,658 carbon credits has been achieved for the year 2025. At Simoshi we close our monitoring periods every 31st of December, meaning the verifications represent a full 365 days cycle, every year, without fail. This has helped Simoshi achieve a continuous monitoring of all indicators to attain an impressive track record of transparency and integrity on the 9 Sustainable Development Goals achieved.

This would have never happened without the support of 120 schools that have been participating under the Project Activity. In return, Simoshi has been repairing for free all of their institutional improved cook stoves (IICS) for over a decade now. This ensures the highest efficiencies are achieved, and it is not only represented by the number of carbon credits issued, but also on the monetary savings the schools make from their firewood purchases, the clean kitchen environments that makes schools proud, and the pleasant place of work cooks can enjoy. Another milestone to make us all proud, as we keep on working together to make again another technology transition to electric cooking.

Schools Remain Open

There have been rumors that schools would close anytime soon due to the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

President Museveni delivered a State of the Nation Address yesterday at Kololo Ceremonial grounds, following his recent inauguration for another 5-year term.

The speech focused on economic sovereignty and wealth creation. No mention of any health measures quieted all rumors that have been circulating lately.

Out team was visiting some of our participating schools, as usual, monitoring the correct use of the institutional improved cook stoves. And everyone looked safe, life goes on as normal. Another Friday for the beginning of school Term II.

The Daily Posho

Maize flour is used to make posho (also called ugali or nshima in some regions in Uganda) it does provide some limited nutritional value for schoolchildren, but its benefits and limitations depend on the type of flour and what other foods are eaten alongside it.

By itself it does not provide all the nutrients required for healthy growth. It is most beneficial when combined with protein-rich foods, vegetables, and, where possible, fortified ingredients.

Most schools serve it with red beans prepared in a tomato sauce. Together, posho and beans form a complementary meal because the protein in beans helps make up for some of the limitations of maize protein. This makes the meal more filling and nutritionally balanced than either food alone.

Term II Kicks Off

Today children are back in school. Term II has officially started today, running until Friday 21st of August for a total of 89 days.

We have been busy for the past 3 weeks repairing the institutional improved cook stoves (IICS) as kitchens were quiet because of the holiday period. These repairs are free of cost to all schools, and have been taking place for the past 10 years.

But time is never enough tough! We have more work to do back in the office as 7 different IICS top rings are still awaiting for welding.

Thankfully the various IICS can still be used without the rings, and by the end of the week all work will finished.

Theft Protection

As we slowly help our participating schools upgrade their kitchen cooking appliances - now moving away from using institutional improved cook stoves (IICS) to electric induction cook stoves - the need to have a safe kitchen building is now a priority.

The value of the appliances is high. This incudes not only the induction cookers, but also a 20KVA voltage stabiliser (very expensive) special stainless steel saucepans, and various energy meters, making such installation a valuable pot for thieves.

Of course, risk is still there, but we feel more at ease now that schools are installing metal and window doors to the kitchen building. The image below shows the recent installation at one of our primary schools in Kampala. We are trying to work on the tidiness also!

Pushing Smoke Out

Chimneys are such an important part of the institutional improved cook stoves (IICS). Just by looking at the picture below, you can only imagine what the kitchen would feel like if that chimney was not there pushing the smoke outside.

Chimneys do invisible but essential work all the time. It protects the schools health by keeping polluted air out of the living space, and it protects the kitchen environment by keeping it clean, breathable, and pleasant. Without it, a wood stove would be far less practical. With it, the IICS becomes a reliable source of warmth and cooking energy that fits safely into everyday’s cooks life.

There’s also a quieter benefit: efficiency. A good chimney helps the fire burn more completely, which means the wood produces more usable heat and less waste. That not only reduces how much firewood the schools need but also lowers the amount of harmful particles released in the first place.

Little Ones Around

It is unfortunate to usually find very little children wandering around the school kitchens.

The sad reality is that women preparing the children’s meals do not have other option than to bring them along. Childcare is very limited and unaffordable.

Bringing their children to the school kitchen allows mums to continue earning an income while still keeping them close and under her watch. Since the kitchen is their workplace, n for long hours every day, the children spend much of their time there, playing nearby, resting, or helping with small chores, which makes their presence seem normal to both staff and learners.

This also reflects the strong family-centered culture in many Ugandan communities, where children are often included in daily work activities rather than separated from them.

However, it increases the risks because young children may move too close to open flames, hot cooking pots, knives, or slippery surfaces while their mother is busy preparing food and may not be able to supervise them constantly.

A kitchen with institutional improved cook stoves can drastically reduce accidents like burns. Nevertheless other incidents can still occur for many other reasons, showing the need for safer childcare arrangements or protected spaces away from the cooking area.

Safety Inside The Kitchen

A school kitchen is one of the busiest and most demanding places on the compound. It often starts working long before students think about food—fires are lit early, large saucepans are filled with water, and cooks prepare meals for dozens or even hundreds of children. The space quickly becomes intense: heat rises from firewood stoves, smoke fills the air, and heavy pots of posho, beans, or porridge are lifted and stirred with effort and care.

This situation can become extremely dangerous for children, and in humble government aided schools, it is not unusual to see children walking around without shoes.

Picture the scene during meal preparation. Several cooks move quickly around each other, carrying firewood, tending flames, and balancing large, boiling pots. The ground may be wet or slippery from spilled water, and tools like knives, ladles, and metal lids are in constant use.

That is why we continually train schools to place strong rules around keeping students out of the kitchen while cooking is in progress. It’s not meant to be harsh or unfriendly—it’s about safety and responsibility. The cooks need space to work efficiently without worrying about children underfoot, and students need protection from dangers they may not fully recognize.

This is why we introduced the buckets to get food served outside the kitchen building. Food is moved from the saucepans into the buckets or serving containers, which are then carried either outside, to the classrooms or to the dining area, where each plate is served.

School Vegetable Gardens

Many schools in Uganda turn available outdoor spaces—compounds, unused plots, and shaded areas—into vegetable gardens to supplement school meals and teach practical agriculture; teachers, students and sometimes parent‑teacher associations prepare beds or raised rows, plant fast‑growing, nutrient‑dense crops like kale (sukuma wiki), spinach, beans, tomatoes and onions, maintain them through watering and mulching during dry spells, and harvest produce to add fresh greens and protein to the midday porridge or stew, while students learn crop management, nutrition and food security skills that reinforce classroom lessons and reduce food costs for the school.

Here below we share a picture of one of our participating schools, Busega Community Primary School. They planted sukuma wiki in bags, a very simple and effective approach for those with limited space, recycling and using the strong sacks from the maize flour they purchase on a monthly basis.

Outdoor Office

The weather in Uganda always invites its people to spend much of the day outdoors. The weather is warm and humid year‑round; daytime temperature often varies between 24–30°C, especially in lowland areas close to lake Victoria.

It is no surprise to find teachers marking papers and homework under a mango tree, children having their lunch on the open courtyards, or attending a lesson under the shade of an avocado tree, that always make attractive, year‑round shade canopies with the bonus of amazing fruits!

Conversion to LPG: Is That An Option?

One of our participating schools in Kampala last year communicated to us they would adopt LPG for their cooking activities. LPG push can rapidly reduce indoor air pollution, improve health and time savings, and reduce localized deforestation pressure — but it requires careful handling of affordability, safety, supply stability and long‑term climate strategy to avoid locking schools into a costly fossil‑fuel dependence.

As we approach the end of the first school term, we decided to pay a visit to our former supported kitchen, to hear about their experiences, and also talk to the school bursar about their fuel expenditures.

Cooks were really pleased about the smoke free environment, and praised the time savings achieved. Nevertheless, the school administrators were complaining about the affordability, as they are currently spending 20% more that what they did during their previous years with the energy efficient firewood stoves.

At Simoshi we decided to introduce institutional induction cook stoves, because of 2 very important an decisive factors:

1) With the current approved special cooking tariff of UGX 390 per kGh, fuel expenditures become 30% cheaper than when compared with firewood consumed by energy efficient cook stoves

2) 99% of the electricity in Uganda is renewable (hydro), where as LPG is a fossil fuel

We continue to monitor the different fuel approaches to ensure that such transition can be a total win for the schools, and we will share all the lessons learned that can also support all Ugandan players when designing and executing coordinated actions across policy, markets, infrastructure, finance, safety/regulation and social programs to replace traditional biomass.

Saucepans and Frying Pans

Our institutional improved biomass cook stoves (IICS) are already designed to handle both traditional saucepans and frying pans.

Frying pans are often wide and heavy, especially with oil. The IICS top ring support holds the pan level to prevent tipping. The distance between the pot stands and the bottom of the pan allows a frying pan base to sit closer to the flame for better heat transfer.

Frying needs medium, steady heat, not just strong flames. The IICS lateral air inlets help regulate temperature.

Here below is an example of one of our schools frying the traditional mandazi commonly eaten as a breakfast snack or with tea. It is made from wheat flour dough mixed with ingredients like sugar, water or milk, yeast or baking powder, and sometimes coconut milk or cardamom.

Audit Site Visit

This past week we visited 14 schools that participate under Simoshi’s registered Project Activity with the Gold Standard “Institutional Improved Cook Stoves for Schools and Institutions in Uganda”. We have closed our Monitoring Period 01/01/2025 until 31/12/2025 and the external auditor randomly selected 14 schools to perform the mandatory site visit to check on the use of the institutional improved cook stoves (IICS).

It has been a busy week with the local expert Doctor Aziz Wakibi, interviewing the kitchen staff, and school Head Teachers and Directors, to find out how the IICS are performing, and how Simoshi has been supporting the schools and the kitchens during such monitoring period.

This audit is what we call in the sector a “verification exercise”, a mandatory activity for any registered carbon project aiming at issuing carbon credits. Since the registration of the Project Activity, Simoshi has been systematically conducting verification exercises every single year, and all Monitoring Reports can be accessed here for public view, if you are interested at learning more at all 9 Sustainable Development Goals achieved, between many other impacts on the ground collected 6 times per year.

From Tree To Bench

Yesterday I came across young children playing and arguing, a little girl in tears because her brother would not let her climb the trunk of a tree.

In Uganda, wood from trees is commonly used to make school furniture such as desks, chairs, tables, shelves, and cupboards. Common trees used for timber in Uganda include pine, eucalyptus, musizi, and mahogany.

When the trees are mature, they are cut down carefully to provide wood for construction and furniture making.

Many schools in Uganda depend on local carpenters and small workshops to produce furniture, which also helps create jobs in communities.

But although many trees are replanted, unsustainable cutting still happens in some areas, which is the case in this school in Bulenga where they have been cutting their compound trees not only to make their school furniture, but also to feed their stoves for cooking the children’s food.

Busy In Class

Almost all children are now back at school. As we monitor the use of the institutional improved cook stoves in our 120 participating schools, we are happy to hear from the Head Teachers that enrolment numbers are high. We have seen crowded classrooms throughout this month of February.

A significant portion of the population lives below the poverty line. Many families struggle to meet basic needs, making it difficult to prioritize or afford school fees. Thankfully, schools provide payment plans and children are allowed to commence even if only a small percentage was paid towards the school term fees.