In an effort to stave off a worsening of the tensions between the refugee and local populations, UNHCR began providing a weekly kerosene ration to all Bhutanese refugee families in 1992-93. However, though kerosene was in the words of UNHCR “cheap, available and easy to obtain” when the distributions began, the price had more than doubled by 2006, and strikes and blockades imposed as a result of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal caused frequent scarcities of the fuel and delays in transporting it. UNHCR and LWF aimed to supply at least 50 percent of the refugee population with biomass briquettes (known as “honeycomb” or “beehive” briquettes) beginning in early 2006. The large, single-use briquettes are made from a combination of charred forest waste, filler and a binder such as clay or molasses. They also experimented with several models of locally-produced improved cookstoves for use with the briquettes. The demonstrations and small-scale trainings associated with the introduction of honeycomb briquettes caused significant confusion among refugees regarding who would be responsible for the collection of raw materials and for producing the briquettes – either the local community or the refugees themselves. Poorly planned trainings may have contributed to the reluctance of refugees to accept the briquettes. In an effort to stave off a worsening of the tensions between the refugee and local populations, UNHCR began providing a weekly kerosene ration to all Bhutanese refugee families in 1992-93. However, though kerosene was in the words of UNHCR “cheap, available and easy to obtain” when the distributions began, the price had more than doubled by 2006, and strikes and blockades imposed as a result of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal caused frequent scarcities of the fuel and delays in transporting it. UNHCR and LWF aimed to supply at least 50 percent of the refugee population with biomass briquettes (known as “honeycomb” or “beehive” briquettes) beginning in early 2006. The large, single-use briquettes are made from a combination of charred forest waste, filler and a binder such as clay or molasses. They also experimented with several models of locally-produced improved cookstoves for use with the briquettes. The demonstrations and small-scale trainings associated with the introduction of honeycomb briquettes caused significant confusion among refugees regarding who would be responsible for the collection of raw materials and for producing the briquettes – either the local community or the refugees themselves. Poorly planned trainings may have contributed to the reluctance of refugees to accept the briquettes.