Promoting climate resilience through water and sanitation investments
Aqua for All aims to catalyse investments in water and sanitation that contribute to improving climate resilience. In partnership local financial institutions (FIs), we develop loan portfolios for water and sanitation small and medium enterprises (SMEs). We contribute with de-risking, technical support These partnerships generate climate impacts indirectly, through the loans and processes that it supports.
Aqua for All tailors its approach to the needs of each financial institution. Financial institutions are at very different stages in their understanding of climate change. At the same time, they face different, but increasing regulatory requirements on climate risk management.
Aqua for All’s ‘Financial Institutions Toolkit’ include climate considerations and support in the form of:
- Training and capacity building for financial institutions’ staff on the relationship between climate and water and sanitation
- Support in developing processes to identify the exposure of water and sanitation portfolios to climate risks
- Integration of climate considerations into processes e.g. due diligence templates and monitoring and evaluation.
This approach and toolkit support financial institutions integrate climate considerations into its processes and develop climate-smart water and sanitation loan portfolios.
Sidian Bank: Water and sanitation loans with positive climate impact in Kenya
A couple of months after the COVID-19 pandemic started, Aqua for All and Sidian Bank launched a two-year Covid-19 WASH Loan Facility in Kenya. The facility offered loans for water and sanitation small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
By early 2022, the facility provided loans to 624 SMEs and 3 microfinance institutions received loans. As a result, 832,098 people gained access to an improved water supply nearby. Water quality was improved as well as having enough water to clean toilets. In some cases, this led to saving time (less time spent queueing for water) and reduced costs as they were no longer buying water from a vendor.
The facility had positive climate impacts:
- 22% of the enterprises had the potential to reduce GHG emissions.
- Reduction of burning of wood to boil water.
- Reduction in water leaks because of better quality pipes
- Reduction of fossil fuel dependency for electricity as some enterprises started using solar energy.
- Reduction in soil contamination from toilet waste extraction.