Kiva conducts regular, ongoing monitoring of all Lending Partners, but only posts status updates here in response to relevant, major changes at the partner.

Status Update - February 25, 2019 

Kiva and Nuru Energy have agreed to end their partnership and default the remaining loans, due to lower than predicted household spending on energy and the devaluation of the Rwandan franc to USD. These factors prevented  Nuru Energy from reaching financial sustainability or servicing their debts. Nuru Energy has wound down operations in Rwanda and is undergoing severe restructuring as they try to find a way forward. While the loan was not a success from a repayment perspective, to-date, Nuru with the support of Kiva lenders have set-up 2083 village level entrepreneurs across East Africa, each of whom is receiving a substantial boost to their incomes. Through this VLE network, Nuru with the support of Kiva lenders have provided clean energy access to 165,441 households, most if not all, living the below the poverty line. Nuru has provided Kiva with an extensive “lessons learned” summary and Kiva will be applying this knowledge in future partnerships with enterprises working on energy access for low income households.

Partner description:

Nuru Energy is a global social enterprise dedicated to providing subsistence level households with access to clean energy. Most households earn below the poverty line of less than $1.50 per day.  
 
With support from the World Bank and the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, Nuru Energy has developed an easy-to-use, portable pay-as-you-go (PAYG) recharging platform, the Octopus Charger, that uses both solar and human energy to recharge any USB device, including mobile phones, tablets and lights.
 
Village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs) use the Octopus Charger to operate a recharging business, recharging their community's mobile phones and lights for a fee. Before the Octopus Charger can operate, it must be credited with activation units that the VLE purchases from Nuru via mobile money. One activation unit recharges any USB device, including any mobile phone. It’s through the ongoing purchases of these activation units that Nuru collects a portion of the VLE's recharge revenue, thereby allowing the VLE to pay down their Kiva loan.
 
Nuru's approach gives villagers quick, affordable access to clean energy at a centralized point within their village and allows households to consume as much or as little energy as they need and, more importantly, can afford.
 
Nuru Energy currently has over 1200 VLEs serving more than 120,000 families throughout East Africa, including over 800 VLEs in Rwanda alone. 
 
For its efforts, Nuru Energy has received over 20 global awards, including the prestigious 2010 UNEP Sasakawa Prize, the 2010 UNDP World Business and Development Award and African Social Enterprise of the Year by the World Economic Forum/Schwab Foundation.