Vita
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Mission Statement
Vita is an Irish development NGO investing in climate smart communities in East Africa. We believe in uniting social justice with climate action using innovative community-led models that facilitates communities to drive their own development. Our mission is to deliver equitable solutions that create access to clean water, food security, and renewable energy to those most unfairly impacted by climate change.
About This Cause
Vita's programmes are radical, very next generation and non-traditional. This innovative approach has enabled us to punch well above our weight in terms of spend versus impact. Through our climate smart agriculture, improved cooking facilities and water pump repair programmes communities are transforming their lives by creating sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their children and building their resilience to teh challenges presented by climate change. Our globally unique social impact investment fund - the Vita Green Impact Fund - has carbon emissions savings through our clean water and clean cooking programmes as it's driver, and this has enabled us to scale up our impact well beyond traditional development models. The two big challenges are climate adaptation and climate mitigation and this is what we focus on. Our climate adaptation projects are based around agriculture and food security such as potato and legumes - both highly nutritious but also very climate resilient. We collaborate with world renowned experts in particular areas and leverage quality commercial and public partnerships to introduce improved seed varieties that can withstand the changing environments and erratic weather conditions. Our focus is on food systems, as opposed to just one part of the process such as improved seed. We look at soil, at sanitation, inputs, equipment, marketing, transport, co-operative development, packaging , book keeping, sales etc - in fact the whole value chain - so that the improvements are sustainable.This holistic approach ensures that farmers get the best renumeration for their efforts. Many of the areas where we work have up to 30% female-headed households and the burden on these women is formidable. They are at the centre of many of our programmes and benefit the most from the least amount of investment. Our Vita Green Impact Fund has delivered many benefits over the last five years, including reducing carbon emissions by two million tonnes and saving 30 million treees. However it's biggest impact is on the lives and futures of the 311,040 women and their children. Moving from cooking on a toxic and dangerous open flame to an enclosed one that uses 60% less wood has life-transforming health and wellfare benefits to women, as does access to clean water in their own localities. They will live longer, work less, and have more income. The carbon emissions savings are verified internationally and sold as carbon offsets, with profits reinvested into the communities that create them in the first place, in what is a uniquely circular model. We intend to continue to deliver equitable, next generation models of development through our Climate Innovation in Africa Programme. Thank you for your interest so far. To find out more about Vita please visit www.Vita.ie or find us on social media at Vita Ireland or email info@vita.ie - we are always happy to chat about ourselves!!