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GenteGas S.A. to launch crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds to expand consumer loans for customers switching from wood to gas.
Press Kit Launch Date Monday August 24th @ 8am EST (30 day campaign)
Funding Goal $15,000 Extend credit-‐lending pilot to 100 families. Stretch Goal 1 -‐ $20,000 2 Motorcycles for LPG deliveries and payment collection. Stretch Goal 2 -‐ $25,000 Delivery Vehicle (balance due $5,000). Stretch Goal 3 -‐ $40,000 Extend credit lending to an additional 100 families.
GENTEGAS S.A. 1era Calle 3-‐42, Zona 1 Ciudad Vieja, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
PHONE +502-‐7888-‐6713 (Ofice) +502-‐3511-‐0565 (Cell)
WEB www.gentegas.com
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Beginning August 24, 2015, GenteGas will launch a Crowd Funding Campaign to be used to continue funding LPG stove packages to low-‐income families in Guatemala. Additional information regarding the Crowd Funding Campaign can be found on the Indiegogo (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gentegas-‐expanding-‐credit-‐access-‐for-‐guatemalans/x/10967778 -‐ /story) website.
GenteGas is a high-‐impact social enterprise dedicated to improving the quality of life of families in Guatemala. GenteGas’ mission is to reduce the entry costs of clean burning gas stoves and fuels as well as provide income generating opportunities to women with the purpose of eradicating toxic cooking smoke and the associated diseases and death, increasing public awareness about health risks from solid
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fuel use, alleviating the pressure on local forests, promoting local economic development, and ultimately increasing the quality of life for families in Guatemala.
In a global context, cooking smoke is the fifth worst threat to public health in the developing world. Household air pollution (HAP), from burning wood, charcoal, dung, agricultural waste, and other solid biomass cooking fuels, affects 2.7 billion people worldwide, 38% of humanity. Toxic cooking smoke is responsible for over 4.3 million premature deaths a year...that is more than deaths from malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis combined.
In Latin America, household air pollution from solid fuels annually causes 80,000 deaths and 2.7 million disability adjusted life years lost (WHO Global Health Observatory Data Repository 2012). In Guatemala, fifteen Guatemalans die every day in the country from cooking with wood and a staggering 9.6 million people are affected by HAP (GACC 2015). Guatemala has the highest percentage of disease attributable to solid fuel use in
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Central America (WHO 2012). Wood fuel is used by 94% of rural households in Guatemala, and is responsible for death and major health issues such as acute respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low birth weight, perinatal mortality, asthma, tuberculosis, cataracts, and cardiovascular disease (Bruce et. all 2014, EPH).
GenteGas is the first social enterprise to offer market-‐based affordable gas stoves to low-‐income families exposed to toxic levels of wood smoke. The proposed solution is to use clean burning and reliable LPG stoves via a community engagement program that teaches entrepreneurship, empowerment, and leadership. As part of the GenteGas business model and proof of concept, the Universidad del Valle (UVG), Guatemala, received a Grand Challenges Canada Stars in Global Health -‐ Round 6, Phase 1 grant for the project titled “GenteGas: Delivering affordable gas stoves and household health education to low-‐income families exposed to toxic levels of woodsmoke.” This is an academic-‐community partnership between the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) (Lisa
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Thompson, co-‐PI), the Universidad del Valle in Guatemala (Anaité Diaz Artiga, co-‐PI) and community partner (Christina Espinosa of GenteGas S.A.). Grand Challenges Canada is funded by the Government of Canada and is dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact in global health. GenteGas also partnered through grants with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Public Health Institute (PHI) to study air pollution monitoring in households transitioning from wood to LPG. Additional funding supporters include a grant from the Cordes Foundation and an investment from Pomona Impact. GenteGas is also proud to be an implementing partner of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-‐private initiative led by the United Nations Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women and preserve the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean cooking solutions. Learn more at www.cleancookstoves.org.
GenteGas offers customers the stove, tank, tubing, and regulator in a single affordable
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package along with the ability to finance the entire package for 12 months. Presently, the biggest barrier to adoption of LPG is due to lack of access to credit mechanisms to support financing the stove package. Due to the lack of interest from big banks and local micro-‐finance institutions to offer credit, GenteGas developed an in-‐house credit mechanism to serve these families.
In a 2014 UVG and UCSF study of families that were interested in purchasing LPG stoves, 71% of households preferred to buy a stove using credit. However, income in these households was predominately generated in an informal economy. These findings support the conclusion that while many of GenteGas’ target customers are interested in product financing, most will be unable to obtain credit because of their participation in the informal economy, which often results in the inability to supply the required income documentation to local banks. Therefore, the GenteGas in-‐house financing option is critical to the success of the business model.
Since 85% of GenteGas customers are excluded from financing with banks and micro-‐finance institutions, GenteGas needs your help. GenteGas wants to continue financing life saving stoves to more Guatemalan families and needs additional funding to continue financing stove packages. Our funding goal is set at $15,000 which will help GenteGas finance stove packages for 100 more families. If we can raise even more funds, GenteGas can reach even more Guatemalan families.
Get involved! Help spread the word about household air pollution and the effect it has on 2.7 billion people worldwide. Through the use of the Indiegogo website, GenteGas is offering you a way to connect with its customers through a culinary journey. We have created three electronic Guatemalan cookbooks, exciting food and cooking related gift packages, and the chance to experience Guatemalan food packages delivered to your doorstep. Purchase a perk for yourself and a friend. Help make a difference. Spread the word about the worldwide threat to public health due to the use of solid fuels.
If you would like more information about GenteGas, S.A., please contact Christina Espinosa, CEO and Co-‐Founder at +502-‐3511-‐0565 or [email protected].
Social Media Contacts Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gentegasguatemala Twitter: https://twitter.com/SocialInnovate Instagram: GENTEGAS.GT Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/gentegas/
Suggested Tweet Try Guatemalan cuisine w/ @SocialInnovate while supporting a great cause bit.ly/1JjeIVX #CookingWithGenteGas on.fb.me/1HZFghs Suggested Hashtags
#CookingWithGenteGas #Guatemala #Cookstoves #CookingShouldntKill
Campaign Shortlink
http://bit.ly/1JjeIVX
Press Images and Logos https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1g7vrmi1j0bh2fd/AADDky6iw1c30Hr1zbmjT45Xa?dl=0
