Group sensitises Kuchingoro IDPs on safe, healthy, cooking

A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Africare Nigeria, has sensitised women at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Kuchingoro, Abuja, on safe methods of using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking.  The sensitisation programme tagged ‘Upgrade to Gas’ was done  under the Power Forward project, implemented in collaboration with Exxonmobil. The Upgrade to Gas programme is […]

A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Africare Nigeria, has sensitised women at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Kuchingoro, Abuja, on safe methods of using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking. 

The sensitisation programme tagged ‘Upgrade to Gas’ was done  under the Power Forward project, implemented in collaboration with Exxonmobil.

The Upgrade to Gas programme is aimed at promoting healthy cooking habits and healthy living among women, and to also encourage women to use  Liquefied Petroleum Gas for cooking instead of other dirty fuels. 

Africare Nigeria also distributed behaviour change materials to the over 70 beneficiaries and sensitised them on how to use a fire extinguisher in case there was a fire outbreak.

 Leader of the ‘Upgrade to Gas’ campaign, Mrs. Koko Damilokum, said cooking with gas was economical, smarter, better and faster. 

She said, “We are trying to change the behaviour of women from using firewood, kerosene and charcoal for cooking. Cooking with such materials can affect the health of women and even the children whose internal organs are weak. It also affects pregnant women and their unborn child seriously.” 

Demonstrating how to use cooking gas, a member of the ‘Upgrade to Gas’ team, Mrs. Antonia David Torma, said women at the camp were responding positively, saying they participated actively during the interactive sessions and showed willingness to embrace cooking with gas. 

A beneficiary, Zainab, said she was willing to stop using firewood but that the challenge was that she couldn’t afford to buy cylinder and gas.

“I now know how to use gas and I am ready to stop using firewood, but the problem is we don’t have money to buy it, you know our condition here. We are just managing life but any time I get money, I will buy it and if government can buy it for us, we will be very happy,” she said.

Another woman at the camp, Mary Daniel, said the sensitisation helped disabuse her mind from the wrong impression that gas was dangerous for cooking and always caught fire. She added that she has understood how to use it safely and will buy it once she had money.