Every evening, Awime Magela faces the same stark reality check: 13 people, one shelter, and if they are lucky, one meal.

But the 22-year-old isn't just surviving; he's innovating. In a place where the harshness of life could easily breed despair, he's found a way to turn waste into hope.

The discarded raw materials – paper, sawdust, and agricultural refuse – are transformed into biomass briquettes in Awime's hands. These renewable, non-polluting alternatives to charcoal burn longer, produce less smoke, and cost less than the fuel that's slowly destroying Kenya's forests.

It's a solution born out of necessity within the Kakuma 1 refugee camp in Kenya, one of the world’s largest sanctuaries for displaced populations.

The innovation takes on deeper meaning against the backdrop of Awime's reality.

More than a decade since fleeing fighting between government troops and rebels in the North Kivu region of his native Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he shares a tiny shelter with 12 relatives in the teeming refugee camp's "Hong Kong" section, called so because of the commercial activity that takes place there.

The Donald Trump administration's aid budget cuts, followed by reductions from other Western nations, have exacerbated the refugees’ already precarious situation.

Daily realities

By the time Awime returns to the camp around 5pm every day from Blue State Secondary School, where he is a student, Mama Awime is usually in front of her stove.

With less than US $0.50 worth of charcoal, she will boil water and make ugali, a cornmeal porridge, for the entire household.

While charcoal is the energy source of choice in Kakuma, environmentalists fear it is taking its toll on Kenya's biodiversity.

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Awime's briquettes aim to solve this problem while also making fuel more affordable. The idea is being developed with funding from Education Above All (EAA) and through a climate action project implemented by Girl Child Network and Green Youth 360, a youth-led environmental initiative.

"We make briquettes from a variety of residues. Compared to wood, briquettes have double the density and an excellent energy yield. They are a perfect alternative to fossil fuels like charcoal," Awime tells TRT Afrika.

Student participation

Brilliant Edamit, a 15-year-old student at Kakuma Arid Zone Secondary School, learnt to make briquettes through Green Youth 360 facilitator Ephraim Lodiyo.

"Briquettes retain heat much longer than firewood, keeping the temperature high in the stove, which significantly reduces fuel costs compared to other fossil fuels," she tells TRT Afrika.

The teenager also points out that compared to burning wood or charcoal, briquettes produce significantly less smoke and ash, which helps reduce indoor air pollution and the likelihood of respiratory illnesses.

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Dennis Mutiso, deputy director of Girl Child Network, says the project is being implemented in several schools within the Kakuma refugee camp and host communities, empowering learners in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

"EAA's intervention is a bold step towards creating a more resilient and self-reliant future for refugees in Kakuma and their host communities," he says.

EAA's international programmes specialist, Tareq Albakri, explains that the organisation aims to, among other things, help refugees and their host communities access affordable energy sources while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation.

"By using briquettes, these communities could benefit from an environmentally friendly fuel source, setting a practical example for sustainable living and climate action in Kenya," Tareq tells TRT Afrika.

Broader context

According to the 2019 National Population and Housing Census report, 66.7% of Kenyans rely exclusively on firewood and charcoal for their energy needs. Several studies indicate that the demand for charcoal continues to grow because consumers generally have no cheaper and more accessible green energy options.

In rural areas, nine out of every ten households use firewood and charcoal, with 40% relying on wood fuel, which includes both charcoal and firewood that are unsustainably harvested.

Patience Rusare, EAA's senior media specialist, says that by empowering refugees and their host communities in Kakuma with the tools and knowledge to make briquettes and adapt to a changing climate, the organisation hopes to make a lasting impact on both local and global sustainability.

However, locals note that while renewable energy sources like briquettes can replace charcoal, there is a lack of tax incentives to encourage large-scale commercial production and community adoption. They want the government to promote alternative energy sources such as briquettes, and also encourage sustainable production of charcoal, given that its demand remains high.

Back in Kakuma's "Hong Kong" section, Awime's evening routine continues: school, home, and then back to the prospect of sleeping hungry if there isn’t enough food for everyone.

Thankfully, an innovation born out of necessity in a refugee camp may hold answers that extend far beyond easing hunger pangs.