Support for women’s entrepreneurship and climate-friendly stoves in Kenya
Published
Through the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Sweden is contributing to a project in Kenya that supports women’s entrepreneurship and climate-friendly stoves.
More than 80 per cent of Kenya’s population uses biomass for cooking and heating, which is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing open fireplaces with more climate-friendly ones, known as improved stoves (ICS), can reduce emissions.
Charity Njeri Gachanja runs one of 53 women-led or -owned ICF companies in Kenya that are part of the Promotion of Climate-Friendly Cooking: Kenya and Senegal project, which aims to scale up the ICS market in Kenya and Senegal. Charity Njeri Gachanja started her company, Charity Clay Works, more than 25 years ago. Through support from the GCF among others, she has been able to scale up the company’s activities so it now produces between 1 000 and 3 000 stoves a month. She has also expanded her business to include installations in the home.
In total, around two million households, mainly in rural areas, are expected to benefit directly from the project. Almost a third of these households are headed by single women. In addition, the project aims to reduce the incidence of respiratory disease. It also has a positive indirect effect on the ability to conduct income-generating activities and on children’s school attendance and development. By December 2023, the project had contributed to the sale of more than 1 120 000 improved stoves, which is expected to result in a reduction of 1 575 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Read more about the GCF’s climate-friendly stove project on its website - external website,
Did you know?
As of March 2025, the GCF has approved USD 16.7 billion of project funding and mobilised USD 36.5 billion from other actors in climate finance. It has thus contributed to improved climate adaptation and increased resilience for 900 million people.
Sweden’s climate aid success stories
On this page, you can read about some of the many projects in which Swedish climate aid is making a difference. Read more about Sweden’s climate aid and discover more stories via the link.
About the Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest climate fund focused on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC. The GCF’s main focus areas are emissions reductions and climate change adaptation. Sweden is currently chairing the Fund and is its fifth largest donor. In 2024, Sweden contributed SEK 8 billion to the GCF.
