The Journey 2 Scale Grant
The joint efforts of PESITHO and Mercy Corps are going to be supported by HIF & Elrha to expand the production and retail network of ECOCA cookstoves at the local assembly in Bidibidi, Uganda
Back in September 2020 PESITHO applied for the Journey 2 Scale grant, issued by the Humanitarian Innovation Fund and Elrha, aimed for humanitarian innovators who have proof of a successful pilot project of their business in at least one humanitarian setting.
In the case of PESITHO along with our partner Mercy Corps, we will use the financial support in order to expand the current production and retail network of our ECOOP facilities (ECOCA local production and assembly in Bidibidi refugee settlement, Uganda)
The aim is to expand our current operations and networks in Uganda along 5 major goals:
- Establishment of a Pay-As-You-Cook system (PAYC)
payment based on usage instead of existing up-front installments & manual set-up - Establishment of a Carbon Credit Scheme
Emission compensation due to CO2 quotas that can be purchased
- Build and operate ECOCA East Africa SMC (EEA) as a local arm of PESITHO Holding Aps.
- Establishment of retailer network to increase ECOCA uptake and accessibility
increased demand in ECOCA units, therefore job creation in the local assembly - Adaptation of business model for additional markets
(peri-urban & urban Uganda) access to new consumer groups & increased demand in ECOCA units
We feel honored and proud to see that our efforts are recognized and supported in this way. We are thankful to have the opportunity to expand our current projects and collaborations with existing partners in order to work towards supplying even more people with clean cooking facilities, while at the same time creating jobs and fighting climate change.
We will be posting updates along the course of the project and are excited to share the steps of our Journey 2 Scale!
[…] Together with Elrha and Mercy Corps as part of the Journey 2 Scale program, we are currently developing and scaling a sustainable business model and production facilities in Uganda. Through the financial support by Elrha we established a local assembly station at the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Yumbe, Uganda, where we employ people both from the host communities as well as refugees. Our partner Mercy Corps supports us on further developing, testing further elements of our business model further also leading to the engagement of more retail partners . The Journey 2 scale grant is overall used to assess 5 major goals in total, which you can read more about on our blog. […]