Kenyan clean energy company GreenChar has successfully raised KES 3,125,204 ($31,252) through its crowdfunding campaign, in partnership with GVEP, on local crowdfunding platform mChanga.

The crowdfunding campaign which started in March targeted to raise $30,000 to help GreenChar boost its work in rural and poor urban Kenya. GreenChar raised $15,626 from over 130 individual contributors. These donations were matched dollar by dollar by the Department for International Development (DFID) via GVEP‘s Crowd Power campaign.

‘Crowd Power’ is a three year programme (starting in May 2015) funded by UK aid to stimulate, develop and learn from crowdfunding into renewable energy enterprises in sub Saharan Africa and Asia.

The mChanga platform is unique as it allows people to raise money transparently through mobile money, which is popular in Kenya. Over 120 donations were made through mobile money transfer.

The funds will allow GreenChar to reach up to 100,000 homes this year through its ground-breaking Kiosk model that trains and empowers women to run micro-energy kiosks in some of the most disadvantaged communities in Kenya.

GreenChar’s co-founder Tom Osborn remarked that raising 4% more than they had targeted further illustrates how local communities can be involved in solving local problems in their communities.

“We were overwhelmed by the outpouring support mainly from Kenyans and hopefully we can now provide even more women with a path out of poverty,” Tom said.

GreenChar is a social enterprise based in Nairobi, Kenya that produces and distributes clean and alternative energy for homes and institutions at the base of the pyramid.

For more information about GreenChar and the crowdfund, you can reach Laura Koech at laurakoech@greenchar.co.ke