BASE is excited to announce its support to Geres on the implementation of the Pilot Sustainable Housing Solutions for Scale-Up project, funded by the Government of Switzerland (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC) and the Abbé Pierre Foundation. Building on Geres’ prior experience in improving access to micro-finance to promote clean energy and support the local construction sector, the project aims to develop and pilot energy-efficient and climate-resilient housing solutions in Tajikistan. 

The lack of access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable modern energy services remains a pervasive problem in Tajikistan, locking households in a dependency on solid biomass such as wood, straw, and animal dung. Burning biomass indoors for heating and cooking purposes continues to adversely affect the health of the population. Moreover, the most vulnerable quintile in rural areas spends up to a quarter of their monthly consumption expenditure on energy during the winter, cutting costs on food and clothes. 

Moving towards greater financial inclusion for the population to obtain the benefits of new technologies is vital for Tajikistan to fight energy poverty. To bolster this objective, the pilot project will identify families from Rudaki, Vahdat, Hisor, and Faizabad, where living conditions can potentially be improved through adapting energy-efficient solutions and enhancing job opportunities for skilled masters. Additionally, it strives to increase awareness of creating, providing and monitoring sustainable housing solutions among all stakeholders.

“This project will support most vulnerable families and it will explore ways to make energy-efficient solutions more accessible and common,” said Viktoria Demidova, Geres Tajikistan Country Representative. “We believe this project has huge potential to support a just transition in Tajikistan, and to scale-up. We’re excited about this collaboration with Geres,” shared Daniel Magallón, Managing Director at BASE.

Initial stages will include detailed research on targeted regions, stakeholder consultations to assess barriers, in-depth analysis of energy efficiency measures that could be utilised for affordable housing retrofits and new builds. Geres will then mobilise local stakeholders and pilot the most appropriate energy-efficient solutions in selected households.

Solutions may include thermal insulation, improved heating and cooking stoves, solar verandas, etc. BASE will support Geres to help identify potential business models for financing the development of energy-efficient and climate-resilient housing in Tajikistan for future scaling up of the project.

ABOUT THE DONORS

• About the Swiss Cooperation in Tajikistan: The Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan represents the Government of Switzerland and supervises Swiss funded projects implemented in Tajikistan. There are two Swiss Federal Agencies working in the country, namely the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Switzerland funds projects in the following domains: Water, infrastructure and climate change; Governance and Institution buildings; Employment and economic development. Additionally, the Swiss Cooperation in Tajikistan promotes arts and culture and supports small project from local organizations. The Government of Switzerland gives substantial contributions to the World Bank (WB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United Nations system. Those organizations also support the Republic of Tajikistan.

• About Abbé Pierre Foundation:  French private foundation created in 1990 that aims to enable people facing isolation and social and economic exclusion to access independent housing, a genuine “home”. The Foundation’s regional agencies support local operators seeking to develop the supply of housing accessible to the majority. Since 2011, the Abbé Pierre Foundation has supported Geres work to combat energy poverty through improving the housing of poor communities in Central Asia.