Status Update: 
Kiva and Inyenyeri have agreed to end their partnership after nearly 4 years and $11,000 in loans raised. This partnership was experimental, Kiva and Inyenyeri mutually agreed after some experimentation that running a lending model with Kiva wasn't an efficient fit for their business model at this time. This partner has repaid its outstanding balance to Kiva in full, and these funds have been distributed to lenders. We thank Inyenyeri for the years of collaboration and wish them success in their future endeavors.

Partner description:
Inyenyeri is a for-profit renewable energy company providing a clean and affordable cooking solution to rural and urban households in East Africa, starting in Rwanda. They supply high-quality cookstoves to customers on a lease basis and produce clean-cooking fuel pellets locally. By creating a system that incorporates both the fuel and the stove, they are able to create demand for their revenue-generating product while maximizing the health, environmental and social impacts of clean cooking.

The company was founded in 2012 by Eric Reynolds, outdoor outfitter Marmot's co-founder and former chairman and CEO.

A unique lending approach:
Loans funded on Kiva will cover the cost of leasing a clean cookstove from Inyenyeri, with a unique repayment model that allows clients to repay the loan by buying fuel for the stove. Urban clients repay by buying pellet fuel from Inyenyeri in cash, while rural clients repay by collecting wood or sawdust for Inyenyeri, which in turn also counts as payment for their pellet fuel.

Loans in rural areas are either group loans made up of members of the same community, or individual loans. No collateral is required, but the village members and village chief will help encourage clients to adhere to the contract.

Urban customers also sign a contract with Inyenyeri committing to purchase fuel at a set price on a monthly basis and promising to return the stove if they don’t continue purchasing fuel.