A loan helped to provide life-changing clean cookstoves to rural Kenyans, decreasing cooking costs and improving public health.


Ecozoom East Africa's story

This loan may have higher risk but higher impact. Learn more here.

Problem:
Billions of people worldwide need a safer and healthier way to cook. Women spend hours collecting fuel and cooking on inefficient fires. Rural and semi-rural populations can spend up to 30% of their income on fuel, and an estimated 1.2 billion people are living without electricity. Household air pollution is a leading cause of health issues, as cooking on a three stone fire is the equivalent of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day.

Solution:
EcoZoom is a social enterprise based in Kenya that designs, manufactures and distributes fuel efficient cookstoves and solar powered lighting solutions. Their cookstoves reduce fuel costs by up to 70% and harmful emissions by up to 60%. A video on their work is here.

Loan Use and Impact:
With this loan, EcoZoom will be able to purchase over 5,000 cookstoves to sell in East Africa. EcoZoom sells these systems through partner organizations like micro-finance institutions. These partners offer payment plans to their customers who cannot afford to pay the full price upfront. EcoZoom was previously a Kiva field partner, and while they did not default on any loans, their internal credit program was not efficient. Kiva's DSE Program lets them to access more flexible capital.


This loan is special because:

rural Kenyans can get access to high quality clean cookstoves and solar lamps through innovative credit.



Loan details


Lenders and lending teams




Loan details