Combining theoretical skills and a practical approach for Cooperation and Development. This is the mission of the Master in International Cooperation and Development MICAD.

A concrete example? The experience of Vincenzo Gangone, MICAD Alumnus 2020/21, who is doing his internship in Ivory Coast with the NGO AVSI. 

"Promotion of Improved Technologies for Cooking in Ivory Coast", this is the name of the project, launched in May 2022 and funded by ENI S.p.a. and ENI Côte d'Ivoire Ltd, aims to improve the life quality of vulnerable households living in Gbêkê region and surrounding areas of Ivory Coast by promoting clean cooking access through an approach integrated with interventions in other sectors such as education and local development.

Nowadays, explains Vincenzo, a large number of families in the project area still depend on traditional inefficient cooking techniques (three stone fire or rudimental stoves) that consume massive amounts of woody biomass as cooking fuels (firewood or charcoal). These rudimental techniques have a direct impact on health condition, due to the exposure to smoke and gases produced during fuel combustion, money spent by the family to purchase the fuel, and daily time consuming, especially for women and children that are usually the ones in charge of collecting biomass and cooking activities. 
The distribution of improved cookstoves (50.000 units) to the people still relying with inefficient cooking conditions will allow those households to cook the same amount of food using less fuel (up to 60% reduction ), saving time and money from fuel collection and cooking activities and, meanwhile, reducing the indoor emissions with a related improvement in the families’ health condition. 
The project will follow rules and requirements of the International Carbon Registry VERRA, one of the most important registries in the Voluntary Carbon Market, that is going to certify the environmental benefits in terms of emissions reduction due to the distribution and utilization of the Improved cookstoves. 

A really great project, Vincenzo!