Based in Kenya

Econome

A For-profit with social mission

How This Works

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Organization Details

  • Econome is a last mile distribution company for home utility products for rural households in Kenya.

  • Our Vision is to make daily life better for rural households.

  • Our mission is to be the #1 trusted partner providing easy access to a variety of  quality, affordable, home-utility products for the millions of rural households in Kenya.

  •  Leveraging digital social-welfare groups, we enable rural households to have easy access to solar lighting, clean cooking, water & grain storage products and energy-efficient home appliances with innovative financing options.

  • To date we have sold over 10,000 products that have benefitted 45,000 rural consumers in Kenya.

 

Support Needs

We’re looking to improve our fundraising strategy with:

FundraisingNonprofit Operations andStrategic Communications

Impact Story

Why We Exist

Household chores in Africa such as cooking, fetching water or cleaning are done by women and girls who mostly spend over 8hrs a day on them, some of which could be spent on other income generating activities.  They also suffer most from respiratory illnesses caused by indoor air pollution from using inefficient cooking and lighting fuels.  Technologies to make these chores and life simpler and more efficient are continuously being developed but are not reaching the intended last mile users due to lack of well etablished distribution channels and affordability on the part of consumers, most of whom earn less than $200 per month. Over 80% of retail business in Kenya is informal through kiosks, open-air markets and street hawking where quality and support are not guaranteed or available for consumers. At the same time, existing retails shops mainly focus on FMCGs, do not have product knowledge and capital to hold inventory for these products. Econome is one stop trusted local distribution brand that offers last mile consumers convenient access to a variety of quality products at affordable prices at their doorstep. 

Our Impact

Quality of life: Through use of products that simplify life for them at home, women and girls have an opportunity to make more productive use of their time such as studying more, developing crafts and enjoy better quality of life.

Wealth creation: From an analysis of products sold and their recommended prices in 2019, we established that sales agents are able to generate an additional $133 income, which leads to better and stable livelihoods and improved local household economies.  

Health: Our range of products such as clean cookstoves or lights improves health of women and girls who often get exposed to toxic fumes from wood fuel. Sanitation products also ensure improved menstrual hygiene.