Women’s Cooperatives Driving Lasting Change in Kenya
Verified gains in income, skills, and knowledge
The Stoy
On Lake Victoria in Kisumu, Waterbus replaces unsafe wooden canoe crossings with safe, insured, reliable, and comfortable ferries. Scheduled service restores mobility for lakeshore communities—reducing drownings, improving access to markets, schools, and health services, and saving women substantial time each trip. With more women joining as staff and pilots, local norms are shifting. Using the W+ Standard, the project quantifies women’s gains in Time and Income & Assets, enabling buyers to finance verified empowerment outcomes through W+ credits.
Quick Facts
Goal: Provide safe, reliable mobility that saves time and grows women’s incomes through better market access.
- Location: Kisumu / Lake Victoria, Kenya
- Metrics: +72% Time domain; +51% Income & Assets; 2–3 hours saved one way (Waterbus takes ~45–60 minutes vs. 3–4 hours)
- Beneficiaries (women): TBD (women riders, traders, staff/pilots)
Standards & Certification:
- W+ Domains: Time, Income & Assets
- Credit Type: W+ Units (W+ labeling with VCS: N/A)
- Certified Supply: 52,000 W+ Credits:
What We Did
- Introduced safe crossings: Launched modern, insured ferries with scheduled routes to replace risky canoe travel.
- Expanded access to markets & services: Reliable mobility to schools, clinics, and mainland markets including Nairobi.
- Created women’s jobs: Hired and trained women crew and pilots, challenging norms and increasing income opportunities.
- Enabled dependable commerce: Timetables let traders plan purchases/sales; cargo can be shipped without escort and arrives intact.
Results & Impact
- Time savings: +72% (W+ Time domain); women save 2–3 hours one way and reallocate time to children’s studies, income-generating activities, and community life.
- Income & assets: +51% (W+ Income & Assets domain); women report higher earnings, business growth, and reinvestment (notably in children’s education).
- Safety & dignity: Safer, insured transport correlates with reduced drowning incidents and lower GBV exposureduring travel.
- Norm change: Visible roles for women staff/pilots are reshaping perceptions of women in transport.
In the Field
Behind the scenes of projects directly from the technical experts on the ground.
Fund a Verified Solution — One Credit at a Time
Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, Kenya
Women Leading Regenerative Change in Brazil’s Cerrado
Fisher Folks Making Circular Economy Work for The Western Tonle Sap Lake Project
Improved Cookstoves (ICS) Programme
Bokpoort CSP Programme, South Africa
Khalladi Wind Farm Project in Morocco
Rural Ghassate, Morocco women’s cooperatives and practical training
Improved Firewood Cookstoves Programme, Honduras
Stoves that Save Time and Energy in KhRos
Financial Literacy Program in Vietnam
Indonesia Domestic Biogas Programme
Clean Energy that Restores Forests and Empowers Women in Nepal
Growing Resilience Through Agricultural Innovation in Kenya (Pula)
Women-led Community Resilient Local Governance in India (wCOREL)
Mangrove Protection through Cleaner Fish Smoking in Cameroon
1st Carbon Credit Project - Solar Water Pumps for Salt Farmers of Kutch
Building climate resilience in the Sundarbans through mangrove restoration
