What to know about this Lending Partner
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 — March 20, 2019
Kiva and Takamoto have agreed to end their partnership after more than 4 years and over $59k in loans raised. This Lending Partner has repaid all its outstanding balance to Kiva in full, and these funds have been distributed to lenders. We thank Takamoto for the years of collaboration and wish them success in their future endeavors.
Original Partner Description:
Takamoto is committed to replacing traditional fuels used for cooking with clean and cost-effective biogas. Almost 90% of rural Kenyans do not have access to electricity, and the large majority of the country's population still relies on traditional fuels such as firewood, charcoal, kerosene. Not only do these fuels cause chronic illness from smoke and soot, but they are also harmful to the environment and increasingly expensive. So far our clients with biogas systems save 45 minutes per day that would have been spent collecting, splitting and lighting firewood. The average family saves 2.7 trees per year and saves 12% on their monthly cooking fuel expense. Farmers no longer have to deal with smokey wood fires that cause 4 million deaths annually.
Takamoto provides Kenyan farmers with a biodigester, piping and a stove. By feeding the biodigester daily with cow or pig manure, the farmers and their families generate biogas for six hours of cooking per day. The biogas systems also produce an organic and nutritious fertilizer which farmers can use on their crops that increases crop yields by 5-42% over using chemical fertilizer alone.
A unique lending approach:
Takamoto Biogas installs home biogas systems using a hire-purchase loan (Lease-to-Own). This means that farmers make installment payments to obtain full ownership over a period of time. Hire-purchase loans are usually successful because they protect the borrower from debt; at any time the client can discontinue the contract.