The Vita Green Impact Fund (VGIF) is an award winning, highly innovative blended climate finance impact investment fund that supports sustainable development in East Africa. We generate high integrity carbon credits that can be purchased by individuals and corporates in Ireland, Europe and beyond. We generate the offsets through:
Access to clean water. Read more here
Improved fuel-efficient cookstoves. Read more here
Community-led forest restoration. Read more here
By investing in projects that reduce carbon emissions and enhance community development, the fund enables the generation of certified carbon credits which are sold to deliver financial returns to investors and communities as well as funding more stoves, water and forestry. This model not only addresses critical needs like health, gender equality, and climate resilience but also creates a circular impact by reinvesting proceeds into scaling the fund’s reach and benefits.
Vita Impact is scaling up the Green Impact Fund to provide eight million people in East Africa with sustainable and affordable water, cookstoves and forestry. In May 2023, the VGIF raised €10m as an additional tranche of funding – this €10m will reach 1.3m people with clean water or clean cooking, save 678,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from being generated each year and plant 20m trees. This highly significant climate change mitigation fund was recently awarded the prestigious international Keeling Curve Prize for Innovation in Climate Finance.
Read our latest impact report here
Read the 2024-2025 Annual VGIF Impact Report here
Read the 2023-2024 Annual VGIF Impact Report here
Read our Pilot VGIF Report here
For more information please contact info@vita.ie
HOW IT WORKS
HOW IT STARTED
In the “proof of concept” phase launched in 2016, the Fund raised €2m including €1.5m in interest-bearing loans and €0.5m in grants. This was invested to provide sustainable and affordable water (in the form of community water points) and household cleaner cooking (in the form of fuel-efficient stoves) to 311,000 rural people in Eritrea and Ethiopia.
In the process, two million tons of carbon emission savings was generated and these emissions are being sold on voluntary carbon markets with the income used to repay investors. The surplus is being reinvested back into the communities which created the emissions savings in the first place, creating a circular model. Additionally, it is estimated that up to 30 million trees were saved by these communities transitioning to more sustainable practices.
You can read our pilot VGIF Impact Report here.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
The Green Impact Fund has scaled up to a €10m blended finance model that will provide 1.3 million people in East Africa with sustainable access to clean water and improved cookstoves. It will generate over 675,000 tonnes of Gold Standard verified carbon emission savings annually and save/plant over two millions of trees every year.
This is a highly significant climate change mitigation programme. Read our latest 2024-2025 VGIF Impact Report here.
ACCREDITATION AND VERIFICATION
Vita’s offsets are accredited by the Gold Standard. To find out more about this process please click here.
WHAT IS IMPACT INVESTMENT?
Impact investment refers to investments made with the intention to generate both a financial return and a measurable, positive social or environmental impact. Unlike traditional investing, which focuses solely on financial gain, impact investing seeks to combine profit with purpose.
To find out more click here