A loan helped to supply affordable, clean cooking solutions to households in Sub-Saharan Africa during COVID-19.


Burn Manufacturing's story

BURN Manufacturing is saving lives and forests by revolutionizing the cookstove sector.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, traditional cooking methods are expensive, life-threatening and harmful to the environment. More than 2 million people die each year in the region from respiratory illnesses due to cooking indoors over open fires and dirty cookstoves. This exceeds the combined deaths of malaria and HIV/AIDS. The negative health and economic impacts primarily affect women and children.

In 2014, BURN launched the first modern cookstove manufacturing facility in Sub-Saharan Africa. BURN's Jikokoa charcoal cookstove reduces smoke and soot by 60% compared to a ceramic jiko, widely used in Kenya, for improved health outcomes. Each stove also saves a family $150-300 per year. Savings are used for critical expenditures such as food and school fees. Learn more here.

To date, BURN has distributed over 850k cookstoves, saved families over $280 million, reduced CO2 emissions by 5.4 million tonnes, and saved 3.3 million tonnes of wood from being deforested. In addition, BURN has created over 300 sustainable jobs in Kenya with more than 60% female employees.

This is BURN's second direct loan. Kiva granted a repayment deferment on their current outstanding loan.


This loan is special because:

Each cookstove brings better health and financial outcomes to women in Sub-Saharan Africa.



Loan details


Lenders and lending teams




Loan details