Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

VITALITE Zambia Limited is a Zambian company (Reg#: 117930) established by John Fay, Sam Bell and Mike Matokwani, each with over ten years of experience working in Zambia. VITALITE began operations in Lusaka and Eastern Province and is now expanding into Southern, Central, Copperbelt, and Northern Province.

VITALITE was conceptualized in 2011 after the founders, in partnership with an agro-business, provided over 30,000 agroforestry trainings to smallholder farmers and surveyed 1,300 farmers. Through these surveys, they found significant deforestation due to the production of charcoal and a high demand for affordable modern energy. In response to this demand, VITALITE began distributing renewable energy products in Chipata district in 2013. Since then, VITALITE has grown to 40 employees and 120 certified agents.

VITALITE is active in the energy, agriculture, irrigation and communication sectors and has over 33 outlets in 9 of the 10 provinces of Zambia having distributed over 30 000 SHS, 10 000 efficient cookstoves, 200 solar irrigation pumps and 1500 smartphones.

VITALITE‚ mission is to make modern energy accessible and affordable to all Zambia households, by using market-based solutions. VITALITE aims to positively contribute to the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All initiative, specifically ensure universal access to modern energy services.

VITALITE‚ vision is to be the leading distribution and service organisation in Zambia. VITALITE‚ strategy is to position the business as a provider of access to products and services to rural Zambia.

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Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

VITALITE places gender issues as a high priority in its business model. Our fuel-efficient improved stoves, for example, have a major positive impact on women as the primary cooks in most households because Indoor Air Pollution, a result of traditional cooking methods disproportionately affects women.
Part of VITALITE‚ model was built on the realization that technology interventions for low income people are imperative, especially for women because they are a means to escape poverty and build wealth, unfortunately, women are usually excluded and do not benefit from such technologies.
Women are rarely directly targeted or marketed to. As was observed from sales figures on a previous solar irrigation pump where women only procured 13% while men procured 87% out of 192.
VITALITE‚ new pump marketing targeted at women is meant to encourage them to grow more horticultural related crops or off-season maize that have higher revenue generation. Irrigation technologies coupled with drip irrigation kits have also proved to reduce the amount of water utilized as opposed to the bucket-watering technique currently used by women smallholders. An integral gender-sensitive strategy with our solution is to recruit female agents, which is an important step in ensuring women are also included and benefit from the various products and services because as a result of cultural norms, women will be more comfortable to visit fellow women‚ shops. Marketing efforts will also be supported with materials aimed at women. Women within households involved will benefit from the improved yields and lower chicken mortality rates. This increase in income will allow for opportunities to buy cleaner energy, such as SHSs and improved charcoal stoves (ICS).

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