Vita Ireland

30/03/2026

We were honoured to meet with His Excellency Lalisa Berhanu at the Embassy of Ethiopia, London for a focused and forward-looking discussion on strengthening rural development and climate action across Ethiopia.
Our conversation centred on practical collaboration — how we can build on our long-standing work with rural communities to scale solutions that are locally led, economically viable and climate resilient.
A key priority discussed was expanding our carbon credit initiatives to accelerate clean energy adoption and reduce pressure on forests. Discussions also touched on opportunities for collaboration in the lead-up to COP 2027, which Ethiopia will host and the potential to showcase scalable initiatives that demonstrate how government and international partners can work together to deliver real impact.
Vita remains committed to working alongside national and local partners to expand programmes that deliver measurable, lasting impact for rural communities across Ethiopia.

𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗨𝗞 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀

The Ethiopian Embassy in London hosted a constructive meeting between His Excellency Ambassador Lalisa Berhanu and representatives of Vita UK, including Chairman Andy Flatt and Business Development Advisor Jamie Goode.

Discussions highlighted Vita as an international development organization working with rural communities to build sustainable livelihoods, strengthen climate resilience, and promote locally driven economic opportunities. The conversation focused on enhancing collaboration to support community-driven development across Ethiopia.

Vita’s long-standing engagement in rural Ethiopia, particularly through climate-smart agriculture, clean water systems, and the distribution of fuel-efficient stoves, was recognized as an important contribution to improving livelihoods while protecting the environment.

Both sides also discussed scaling up Vita’s presence in Ethiopia and expanding its carbon credit initiatives, which help reduce deforestation and support clean energy solutions for rural communities.

A shared commitment was made to work closely together to deepen cooperation and scale up impactful programmes across Ethiopia.

Biruk Mekonnen Office of the Prime Minister-Ethiopia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia MFAEthiopia Amharic የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴር Lalisa Berhanu British Embassy, Addis Ababa - UK in Ethiopia

08/03/2026

From our Learning and Development Officer, Emily Hosford and all the women at Vita Impact, we’re proud to wish our community, staff and partners a very Happy International Women’s Day.

In this video, Emily shares her reflections on the 2026 International Women’s Day theme, ““Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” and what it means to champion equity, amplify women’s voices and create spaces where everyone can thrive.

06/02/2026

Meet Ribe Asrat — a small dairy farmer whose daily work does far more than put food on the table.

Through the sale of her milk and dairy products, Ribe supports her family, builds resilience and shows what’s possible when women farmers have the opportunity to thrive.

Her story is one of determination, hard work and the quiet impact happening in rural communities every day.

Watch her journey and see how small-scale farming creates big change. 🎥👇

https://youtu.be/9jmrqpllUQM

Thanks to our partners Bank of Ireland for supporting this programme.

28/01/2026

When a waterpoint breaks, it’s women who feel it first and longest.

So why are they so often excluded from fixing it?

At Vita Impact, we believe sustainable access to water only works when the people who rely on them most have the skills and authority to maintain them. That’s why our water programme in Eritrea and Ethiopia is deliberately designed to put women at the centre of waterpoint repair and maintenance.

We ensure at least 45% of every WASH committee is made up of women. We go further by providing hands-on technical training so women can carry out repairs themselves -quickly, confidently and without waiting for external technicians.

This approach is changing how water systems function on the ground:

Repairs happen faster
Downtime is reduced
Communities rely less on costly outside expertise
Waterpoints stay functional for longer

Through this smarter system, we invest in local capacity, gender equity and long-term resilience.

09/01/2026

Building skills. Strengthening leadership. Securing safe water—locally.
Dasash Alamrew, from Babiko Kebele in Libokemkem Woreda, recently took part in a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Committee training where local community members learned how to carry out practical repairs on shared water points. The focus was to equip communities with real, usable skills so they can keep their water systems functioning long after projects end.
“Every day, I am building confidence in my ability to conduct minor repairs at our water point,” Dasash shared. “I am happy that I can now monitor the water point that my family and I drink from.”
This training is part of Vita Impact’s community water point repair programme, which prioritises the transfer of technical skills to local people as a core sustainability measure. Instead of relying on external support, communities are empowered to manage, repair and protect their own water sources.
Gender equality is central to this approach. Vita’s model ensures that at least 40–55% of all WASH Committee members are women—strengthening women’s leadership and increasing their participation in water management.

Male WASH Committee members are seeing the difference too. One participant noted that men are increasingly sharing responsibility for water collection, treatment and management—recognising that safe drinking water is not “women’s work,” but a shared duty.

This is how sustainable change happens: local skills, inclusive leadership, and communities fully in charge of their water future.

03/12/2025

We are pleased to announce we have been names as winner of the Clifford Chance SDG Award 2025.

The award recognises the circularity and innovation in our implementation model. Our work improves access to clean water, accelerates adoption of fuel-efficient cooking, supports community-led forest restoration and promotes climate-smart agriculture in East Africa.

Together, these programmes help to advance climate resilience, deliver climate justice and improve livelihoods bringing substantial health, gender equality and social benefits.

This year, the award focused on SDG 11 (Sustainable Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Being selected as the winner reinforces that Vita’s locally-led, evidence-driven model is not only working — it’s setting a benchmark for sustainable impact.

We’re proud of this recognition, but even more proud of the communities who make this progress real.

Read more about the SDG Award 2025 here
https://www.cliffordchance.com/news/news/2025/11/clifford-chance-chooses-vita-impact-as-the-winner-of-its-50000-dollars-sustainable-development-goals-award-2025.html
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02/12/2025

Many thanks to Lourda Sexton for taking the time to visit our partner communities in Ethiopia. This visit is a reminder of what collaboration makes possible and how much further we can go together.

Our work starts in the home, with women at the centre. When a woman gains back hours from domestic chores, her entire household moves forward. That’s why we invest in practical, proven innovations that cut drudgery, protect health and open the door to new opportunities.

With the support of partners like Bank of Ireland, we’re accelerating the adoption of improved cookstoves, expanding access to clean water and developing climate-smart agricultural enterprises across East Africa.

The results are real: more time, more income and more resilience for women and their families.

21/11/2025

“Before this cookstove life was so difficult. I spent many hours fetching wood to burn on the old stove. This new stove uses much less wood and it's so fast!!! I'm also healthier. There is no smoke in my kitchen so I feel strong and I don't smell of fire all day. I can have coffee in there with my friends now. We have secrets to talk about – we don't want our husbands to hear!”
These are the words of Amerech Tserah, one of the many women we work with through Vita’s improved cookstove programme in Ethiopia. Her story cuts straight to the point: clean cooking isn’t just about technology — it’s about time, health, agency and everyday dignity.
Women like Amerech are the driving force behind the rapid adoption of clean cooking solutions. Their leadership, their co-ops and their determination are what turn climate action into real, lived change.
Hearing the impact these stoves have had on her life reinforces why this work matters and why we keep pushing for scale.
And none of this would be possible without the support of our partners who stand with these communities and back solutions that deliver immediate, meaningful results.

11/11/2025

Driving Change Together: Accelerating Clean Cooking in Ethiopia

We’re proud to highlight the Vita Cookstove Programme — a transformative partnership between Vita and the Ministry of Energy, Ethiopia — working to accelerate the adoption of fuel-efficient cookstoves across communities.

These innovative stoves use 55% less firewood than traditional models, directly reducing pressure on forests and cutting carbon emissions. But the benefits don’t stop there. The impact is immediate — cleaner indoor air, better health outcomes and new opportunities for women and girls who spend less time collecting fuel and more time on education, enterprise and community life.

At the heart of this success is a whole-of-community approach — engaging households, local leaders and energy experts through awareness meetings and hands-on demonstrations that build trust and drive lasting change.

We’re delighted to share this short video featuring Lemelem Pola from the Ministry of Energy, showcasing how these stoves are assembled and used — and how innovation, collaboration and community empowerment are reshaping the future of clean cooking in Ethiopia.

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15/10/2025

“Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future”

Today, on World Food Day 2025, we’re reminded that food systems are only as strong as the people behind them — and right now, too many are being left behind.

In East Africa, millions of smallholder farmers still face empty plates due to climate shocks, poor storage and broken value chains — which, when combined, keep them trapped in cycles of hunger and waste.

At Vita Impact, we’re changing that narrative.

We work directly with rural communities in Ethiopia and Eritrea to build food systems that actually feed people.

We help farmers grow nutrient-rich crops and improve household diets.

And we tackle food waste head-on by improving post-harvest storage — making sure every crop harvested counts.

This year’s theme — “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future” — is a reminder that, with only five years remaining until the end of the , we must draw on our collective efforts to address the challenges facing our world. Farmers, governments, and partners all need to move in the same direction.

The future of food security lies in collaboration — and we are deeply grateful to our partners who have joined us on this mission.

03/10/2025

How can project developers attract more investment in today's shifting carbon markets?

After a period of self-doubt, the voluntary carbon market is showing signs of renewed growth. The big question: what steps are developers taking to not just survive—but thrive—through uncertainty?

At the Carbon Forward Expo London 2025, organised by Carbon Forward, our CEO John Weakliam will join other leading experts to share strategies that have helped Vita remain resilient and investment-ready, even in turbulent times.

👉 Don’t miss the conversation shaping the future of carbon markets.
Register here: https://lnkd.in/eUJDh9Z2