Humphrey Program: Researching Alternative Energy Sources

2001-02 Humphrey Fellow Touria Dafrallah took graduate courses for two semesters at Cornell University along with nine other international professionals in Environmental and Natural Resource Management. She attended several workshops and visited many energy and environmental organizations in order to enhance her research, make contact with specialists, and seek partnership between Moroccan and US organizations in the field. Her networking efforts were successful. Not only did she make a great number of contacts with professionals in the field, but she also succeeded in creating partnership between the Solar Household Energy (SHE), Inc. USA, the Conseil Général de Loire Atlantic (CGLA), France and the Department of Energy and Mines at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Energy and Mines where she works in Rabat.

Touria was recruited as an intern at the World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). She says her greatest pride was "informing U.S. professionals about the Moroccan Leadership on Rural Electrification and Rural Small Business Development Approach" through a paper she presented at the request of ESMAP. She was also able to participate in a forum entitled "Can the Private Sector Deliver Energy to the Poor?" and a workshop on Global Village Energy Partnership.

Touria’s heavy course load required a great investment on her part. One course requirement was a presentation in which she chose to speak on wood conservation in Morocco, and the possibility of introducing and developing solar cooking in Moroccan rural areas. This method is not only an easy, efficient way of using sunlight (a resource Morocco has plenty of) for cooking, but it is also economical -solar ovens can be made at very low cost- and the use of wood in cooking would be reduced by about half.

The partnership that Touria’s HHH experience led to is already showing its fruit. In March, Touria headed a mission for the evaluation of a Solar Oven project evaluation in Agadir, along with an expert from CGLA with the connection and orientation of SHE Inc. USA.

This article was reproduced from the Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (MACECE) Newsletter