ERWAP Energy Initiative is an independent non-profit organisation working to reduce the health, education, and environmental impacts of air pollution and energy poverty in underserved communities across Nigeria and West Africa.

Our work focuses especially on women and children, who are disproportionately affected by indoor air pollution from firewood-based cooking, unsafe waste practices, and limited access to clean energy. By promoting clean cooking solutions, climate change education, and community-led action, we support healthier homes, safer learning environments, and more resilient communities.

As a climate change education and adaptation organisation, we collaborate with community leaders, women’s groups, schools, health workers, and local institutions to ensure that climate knowledge and clean energy awareness reach those most at risk. We believe that empowering women as caregivers and decision-makers is central to protecting children’s health and improving long-term outcomes for families.

At ERWAP Energy Initiative, we recognise that meaningful climate action must be locally driven. When communities understand the links between energy use, air pollution, health, and education, they are better equipped to change harmful practices and adopt safer, more sustainable alternatives. An informed and engaged community is one of the strongest tools for protecting both people and the planet.

ERWAP Energy began during the postgraduate studies of founder Rashida A. Bamgbola in Energy Economics at the University of Ibadan. While studying renewable energy, she encountered evidence highlighting the deadly effects of indoor air pollution on African women and children. That moment revealed the urgent need for practical, community-level solutions.

What started as EWAP (Energize Women for Africa Project) evolved into ERWAP – Environmental Resource Waste Against Pollution, expanding from women’s energy access to broader community-focused clean energy education and waste-to-energy awareness.

ERWAP Energy Initiative works at the intersection of climate innovation, gender equity, and children's health to:

• Promote WHO-Standard Clean Cooking:

Deploying forced-draft gasification and biogas technologies that eliminate up to 90% of indoor air pollution (PM2.5) for women and children.

• ⁠Drive the Circular Economy: Managing a professional biomass pellet production chain that converts agricultural and household waste into high-density, sustainable fuel.

 • Protect Education & Health: Delivering air quality education in schools and reducing "time poverty" for girls, allowing them to redirect hours spent gathering fuel back into their studies.

• Empower Women as Energy Leaders:

Providing technical training and "Waste-to-Wealth" opportunities, positioning women as the primary decision-makers in Nigeria's green economy.

• Build Subsidy-Proof Resilience: Providing reliable energy solutions that protect families from volatile national fuel markets, ensuring healthier homes and safer learning environments.

OUR VISION 

To become the leading organization in climate change education and adaptation at the grassroots level by 2030  raising awareness, driving action, and delivering practical solutions that combat the realities of climate change in Africa.

OUR MISSION

To empower communities, especially women as primary caregivers, and children as key beneficiarieswith the knowledge and tools needed to reduce air pollution, access clean and sustainable energy, and build climate resilience, one village and one family at a time.

Open-air waste burning and smoke from household cooking remain major sources of toxic air pollution in many communities. Through our community awareness sessions, ERWAP Energy Initiative supports residents, schools, and local groups to understand the health risks of air pollution and adopt safer practices.

These sessions are designed to be inclusive, practical, and non-confrontational, helping communities protect their health and environment through shared learning and collective action.

Request a Community Air Pollution Awareness Session
Contact ERWAP Energy Initiative to learn more about our education and outreach activities.

Logos shown represent organisations that have collaborated with or supported ERWAP Energy Initiative through awareness activities, community engagement, or technical knowledge-sharing.