EnterpriseWorks/VITA Receives U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Funding To Expand IAP Reducing Activities In Ghana EWV's Improved Cook Stoves in Ghana The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will support EnterpriseWorks/VITA in its implementation of a project titled, "Reducing Indoor Air Pollution in Ghana through Fuel Efficient Cook Stoves" as part of its Partnership for Clean Indoor Air. The two-year project aims to reduce indoor air pollution (IAP) through the manufacturing and distribution of consumer oriented cook stoves that use less fuel, significantly reduce indoor air pollution, last longer and are safer than traditional stoves. Building upon EWV's existing cook stoves program in Ghana, the project will expand the availability of improved stoves to previously underserved regions... [Click Here for Full Story]   EWV and OPIC Partner to Launch Major Loan Facility in Afghanistan Newly Equipped Furniture Factory- Kabul, Afghanistan EnterpriseWorks/VITA (EWV) recently signed an agreement with the Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC) for the launch of a $25 Million loan facility in Afghanistan slated to begin in January. Afghan Growth Finance Company ("AGF"), a collaborative effort among EWV, the Small Equity Assistance Fund (SEAF), and Delphos International, was established with the purpose of providing much needed loans to Afghan small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Targeted Afghan companies will include SMEs with a focus on agribusiness... [Click Here for Full Story]   EnterpriseWorks/VITA And Guinness Ghana Breweries Group Donate 2,000 Water Filters To Flood Affected Communities In Ghana In October, EnterpriseWorks/VITA (EWV) donated 2,000 water filters to the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) of Ghana for distribution to flood victims in Northern Ghana, especially children and nursing mothers. Funding for the donation was supplied by the Guinness Ghana Breweries Group. The Government declared a state of emergency after torrential rains in late August and early September resulted in flooding, affecting over 200,000 people... [Click Here for Full Story]   EnterpriseWorks/VITA Awarded Funding To Support Economic Growth And Biodiveristy Conservation In Tanzania Tree crops can be an ideal way for small-scale farmers to generate wealth, hedge against cyclical crop failures, and expand income potential. EnterpriseWorks/VITA's Program to Advance Tanzanian Economic Growth Through Agricultural Intensification and Forest Conservation (T-ECO) was recently awarded funding by The United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program will employ a variety of horticultural/tree crop and land use/conservation activities to increase incomes and expand livelihoods at the smallholder level, primarily through improvements in agricultural productivity... [Click Here for Full Story]   EnterpriseWorks/VITA Enters The Carbon Finance Arena Through Emission Reducing Cook Stoves EnterpriseWorks/VITA (EWV) recently took a major step into the carbon finance market with the signing of its first emission reductions purchase agreement with a top rated carbon finance intermediary. After extensive research into carbon finance and its value, legitimacy and the best approach to gain access to it, EWV's Ghana cook stoves project, now in its 5th year, was chosen as the test market to pilot the EWV carbon finance mechanism... [Click Here for Full Story]

Success Stories

Fighting Poverty with Profit – Community Forest Enterprises in Nepal Greatly Benefit from Collaboration with Aveda Aveda Holiday Gift Sets Wrapped in Lokta Paper Aveda's 2007 Holiday line, already available in stores, features handmade Lokta bark paper from Nepal. While beautifully showcasing the Aveda products, this exceptionally durable and attractive paper that is harvested in a sustainable manner in the Himalayas, is helping marginalized community groups successfully fight poverty and improve their standard of living... [Click Here for Full Story]   Fruit Trees Take Root and Incomes Grow in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands Obed Mgaya in one of his nurseries Like a lot of rural farmers in Tanzania's Southern highlands Obed Mgaya was supporting his family by farming potatoes, maize and wheat. A married father of five children, he was earning an income of less than $200 per year. And that was only when the climate was favorable for production... [Click Here for Full Story]

For more than 40 years in 100 countries, EnterpriseWorks/VITA (EWV) has worked to combat poverty by helping small producers and other entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses that create jobs and increase productivity, market opportunities and incomes. EWV achieves this by expanding access to appropriate technologies, technical assistance, knowledge and finance.