SUpporting STronger Access to INnovative Energy Solutions in Displacement Settings (SUSTAINED)is a collaborative project implemented by CARE, Mercy Corps and Oxfam that started in October 2024. 

SUSTAINED aims to create a sustainable marketplace for clean energy products and services for displaced people and their host communities, starting with refugee camps in Uganda.  

Uganda hosts over 1.9 million refugees, with nearly half residing in West Nile settlements where energy access remains critically low. 

The project's foundational phase reveals that market systems and private sector engagement have the potential to expand access to solar technologies, clean cookstoves, and energy-enabled livelihoods. 

However, affordability, limited awareness, and infrastructural gaps hinder uptake. Targeted subsidies, policy alignment, and community engagement are crucial for maximum impact.

SUSTAINED Phase I has also generated critical insights and messages into how renewable energy and PUE can be effectively deployed in refugee-hosting settlements. 

These key messages distil the most actionable and strategic learnings for stakeholders, consortium partners, government ministries, private sector partners, and energy practitioners, who are positioned to drive scale, policy alignment, and inclusive impact. 

They reflect both the opportunities and challenges encountered, and offer an opening for advancing energy access and livelihoods in displacement contexts.

These are key learnings from SUSTAINED Phase I. Download!!