National Learning Workshop Unveils Insights from E-Cooking Appliances Behavior Change Campaign

By Shanaj Parvin Jonaki (Practical Action Bangladesh)

On 31^st January 2024, a National Learning Workshop unfolded, presenting insights from the Behaviour Change Campaign on the E-Cooking Appliances Project in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Energising Development (EnDev) and Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA). Country Director Shawkat Begum, PhD, who initiated the event, emphasised the global significance of clean cooking. She outlined the project’s goals, focusing on raising awareness and delivering tailored products to impact 25,000 households in Satkhira, Khulna, and Bagerhat.

The Practical Action team thoroughly delved into various aspects of the project during the workshop, covering statistics, communication strategies, outcomes, challenges, and recommendations. The campaign ran on both online and offline platforms, with the digital campaign reaching approximately 3 million people. Of these, 52% were men, and 48% were women aged 18 to 34. The campaign not only increased awareness of electric cooking but also generated interest in purchasing electric cooking appliances.

Uttam Kumar Saha, the strategy lead, initiated an open discussion on electric cooking, where volunteers, government stakeholders, sector experts, and community members shared their reflections. ATEC and Walton Group, project implementation partners, shared their strategies to increase the usage of electric cooking appliances among community members.

Special appreciation goes to our distinguished guest, Md. Abdullah Hell Baki from Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), proposed a strategy combining LPG gas and e-cooking. He advocated for instalment plans, underscored the need for training, and suggested refinancing based on carbon reduction. Fowzia Nowsheen from GIZ Bangladesh reported a positive impact of the campaign and Prof. M Rezwan Khan suggested promoting e-cooking as a cost-effective option. He also proposed collaboration between the glass industry and e-cooking manufacturers for affordable utensils.

The event concluded with an insightful wrap-up from Tazeen Hossain, the Head of Programme Delivery and Operation, who highlighted the invaluable potential educational value of the project in advancing the e-cooking sector.

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Photos by Ala Uddin, Senior Brand Visualiser, Practical Action.