Photo Credit: Wivine Ngango
Sustaining Safe Water Access in Conflict-Affected Communities Through Carbon Finance
In 2025, Virridy partnered with Asili, a Congolese social enterprise supported by Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), to launch a pioneering effort to maintain and expand clean water services in the conflict-affected eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The program supports a growing network of community water kiosks in South Kivu province, reaching 80,000 people today, with projected expansion to 350,000 people by 2030 through both new kiosk construction and the rehabilitation of non-functional systems.
Asili’s model—co-designed with local mothers in eastern DRC—offers affordable, high-quality services including clean water, healthcare, and economic opportunities. This partnership allows Asili to strengthen its operational model by integrating climate finance, making long-term service delivery more resilient and less reliant on temporary aid.
Generating Carbon Credits
A central feature of the program is the use of carbon finance to sustain and grow water services. The project will generate carbon credits under Gold Standard’s ‘Emission Reductions from Safe Drinking Water Supply’ methodology by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from households that no longer need to boil water to make it safe.
These credits will create a reliable revenue stream to support maintenance, staffing, and future infrastructure upgrades. Virridy brings proven expertise in monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of water-carbon programs, building on successful implementations in Kenya and Rwanda. By applying this model in eastern Congo, the partnership demonstrates how carbon finance can sustain essential services even in fragile and complex environments.
Photo Credit: Wivine Ngango
A Scalable Model for Resilience and Local Ownership
Asili’s approach is built for long-term sustainability, with communities paying affordable fees to ensure reliable water access. This model is uniquely suited to contexts where aid may be inconsistent, but the need for safe drinking water is constant.
By partnering with Virridy, Asili is embedding carbon finance into its operational strategy—allowing for consistent service delivery, community ownership, and measurable climate and health benefits. Together, the partners are setting a new standard for how clean water and climate resilience can be delivered at scale in eastern DRC and beyond.
Evidence Base Archives Collection
EVIDENCE BASED ARCHIVES
Rwanda
Learn about Virridy and the Amazi Meza Rwanda Water Treatment Program.
EVIDENCE BASED ARCHIVES
Kenya
Learn about our Kenya Drought Resilience work and how we impacted more than a million people
EVIDENCE BASED ARCHIVES
United States
Learn about 'watershed carbon' methodology's applicability in the United States.