Empowering Rural Women Through Better Cooking: Greenway Grameen’s Partnership with Financial Institutions

In rural India, cooking over an open fire is a daily reality for millions of women, exposing them and their families to harmful smoke and consuming hours of their day in fuelwood collection and preparation. For over a decade, Greenway Grameen has been on a mission to change this by bringing clean and efficient cookstove solutions to rural households across the country. We believe that access to improved cooking is a fundamental enabler of progress. Through our partnerships with banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs), we’re working to make that belief a reality.

Greenway has been honoured to work with institutions such as the Bank of India, ESAF, HDFC Bank, SKDRDP, ECS Nagaland, and multiple MFIs across the country. These partnerships help us to ensure that our cookstoves reach the people who need them most and remain affordable for households with limited financial resources. By allowing women to access financing options, such as EMIs, we are removing a critical barrier to adoption and enabling rural women to improve their health, save time, and even explore economic opportunities. Here’s how our financial institution partners are making an impact, one household at a time.

Bank of India staff taking applications for Greenway Stoves in rural Rajasthan

Addressing the Challenges Rural Women Face

In India, rural women spend hours each day gathering fuelwood and cooking over open flames, exposing themselves and their families to dangerous indoor air pollution that contributes to respiratory issues and other health problems. According to the World Health Organization, household air pollution is one of the leading causes of premature death among women and children in developing countries. Beyond the health impacts, these daily tasks limit women’s ability to participate in economic activities, pursue education, and engage with their communities.

Greenway Grameen’s clean cookstoves are designed to reduce smoke emissions and fuel consumption significantly, but access to these stoves can be challenging in low-income communities where upfront costs are a barrier. This is where our partnerships with financial institutions make a real difference.

The Unique Role of Financial Institutions in Enabling Access

Financial institutions bring a unique advantage to partnerships aimed at improving rural lives. By offering financing options such as easy-to-manage EMIs, banks and MFIs make purchasing a Greenway stove affordable and feasible for low-income households. This financing flexibility is crucial, as it allows families to enjoy the benefits of clean cooking without facing financial strain. With affordable monthly payments, rural women can access modern cooking solutions that drastically reduce the time spent on household chores and improve their quality of life.

Through these partnerships, we’re addressing two critical enablers of women’s empowerment: access to finance and a reduction in household drudgery. When women have both financial support and time savings, they are in a stronger position to pursue opportunities outside of household chores, from engaging in economic activities to accessing education and improving their family’s overall well-being.

Real-Life Examples of Our Partnerships in Action

Greenway’s partnerships with banks and MFIs aim to improve lives, one household at a time. Here are a few examples of the impact we’ve witnessed through these collaborations:

1. Expanding Reach with Bank of India and HDFC Bank

In over 10 states, our partnership with Bank of India and HDFC Bank has enabled us to reach women who traditionally wouldn’t have access to clean cooking solutions. These banks provided financing options to women in rural communities, allowing them to purchase Greenway cookstoves with manageable monthly payments. This small change has had a big impact on health and daily life.

One beneficiary, Meena, used to spend nearly four hours each day on fuel collection and cooking. With her Greenway stove, cooking time has nearly halved, and her family’s health has improved due to reduced smoke exposure. Meena now has more time to work on her small textile business, supplementing her family’s income and helping to secure a better future for her children.

Co-branded Bank of India-Greenway Stove

2. Women Entrepreneurs Through ESAF and SKDRDP

In Kerala and Karnataka, Greenway collaborated with ESAF and SKDRDP (Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project) to empower local women as entrepreneurs. Through these partnerships, local, predominantly women-led staff also generated income towards promotion of Greenway stoves, which they then promoted to households in their communities.

3. Expanding Access Through Self-Help Groups with SKDRDP

In Karnataka, Greenway partnered with SKDRDP to integrate stove financing into self-help groups (SHG), an effective approach for reaching underserved communities. These SHGs, supported by SKDRDP, provide rural women with support networks, savings opportunities, and micro-loans for household expenses and small business ventures. By offering Greenway stoves through these SHGs, we ensure that women can afford the stoves with small, manageable installments.

One SHG member, Rupa, used her loan to purchase a Greenway stove. With the time and money she saved, she has expanded her business. Today, Rupa is not only providing a healthier environment for her family but also supporting them financially through her business. Her story is a testament to how access to simple solutions offering better cooking can reduce time poverty for women. 

Rupa, Greenway stove user and MFI client

The Broader Impact: Health, Economy, and Environment

Our work with financial institutions demonstrates that clean cooking access is both a health intervention and a catalyst for economic empowerment. When rural women save time on tasks like cooking and fuelwood collection, they have the freedom to pursue other economic activities, improve their skills, and uplift their families and communities.

Furthermore, these clean cookstoves reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change mitigation. Each Greenway cookstove prevents approximately 1-2 tons of CO2 emissions annually by replacing traditional open fires, reducing the overall environmental footprint.

Expanding Our Reach and Impact

Greenway is committed to expanding our partnerships with banks, MFIs, and SHGs to bring clean cooking solutions to more households across India. By working with financial institutions that share our vision, we aim to build a future where every rural woman has access to safe, efficient cooking and the financial tools to afford it.

As we advocate for sustainable living, we recognize the importance of financial empowerment in building stronger communities. Over the years, we have seen our partner financial institutions create an outsized impact by enabling credit to rural women. This led our founding team to co-found IndiaP2P  to unlock capital for women-owned businesses while providing retail investors a great avenue for high returns potential.

Together with our partners, we’re making strides toward a future where every woman can cook safely, contribute economically, and lead a healthier life. Join us on our journey toward a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable world for all.