This year DelAgua celebrated its 40th birthday. Over this period DelAgua has shown remarkable resilience, growing from one part-time employee based in the UK, to having a growing portfolio of operations across sub-Saharan Africa and giving employment opportunities to thousands whilst transforming the lives of millions of people.
2025 has been a transformative year, we reflect with pride on a year that has consolidated DelAgua’s position as a leader in the clean cooking sector, demonstrating resilience amid uncertainty in global carbon markets, evolving regulatory frameworks, and increasing operational pressures across the industry.
Delivering impact at scale, one household at a time
This year, we distributed 450,000 improved cookstoves: 200,000 in Rwanda and 250,000 in Sierra Leone. Notably, DelAgua reached the extraordinary milestone of 2 million clean cookstoves distributed, a testament to the operational skill and dedication of our teams and the trust placed in us by our host governments and partners.
The impact of this milestone is profound; transforming more than 9 million lives, particularly women and children, across 11,751 villages in Rwanda, The Gambia & Sierra Leone.
By providing stoves that reduce reliance on firewood by 71%, our programme has protected forest areas equivalent to ten times the size of London and prevented the emission of more than 14 million tons of CO2.
In addition to environmental benefits, the programme is a powerful economic catalyst; creating over 10,000 project-based work opportunities in rural areas. The programme provides a vital source of financial security for our Community Health Workers, with 88% reporting improved financial stability and 95% noting enhanced employability as a result of their training and experience with DelAgua.
A Year of Methodology Transition and Integrity Leadership
The global carbon market is demanding more rigor, transparency, and accuracy. In response, DelAgua took decisive steps in 2025 to align our entire operational model with the most advanced standards. Our transition to Verra’s latest clean cooking methodology VM0050 has been a major achievement, making DelAgua’s projects 3699, 4150 and 4000 some of the first cookstove projects to successfully complete Project Deviation or Methodology Change and Requantification Procedures respectively.
This shift required extensive retraining, new analytical frameworks, and enhanced field protocols, changes that reinforce our long-standing commitment to go far beyond minimum methodological requirements.
Following this methodology transition and ICAO’s approval of VMR0006 to supply CORSIA credits, DelAgua now awaits Verra’s approval of insurance policies as the final step to supplying more than 3 million CORSIA credits annually.
Additionally, DelAgua participated in the Clean Cooking Alliance’s Code of Conduct Pilot, and we are now preparing for alignment with CLEAR approval to enable readiness for future Article 6.4 trading.
Global Advocacy and Leadership
Throughout the year, DelAgua actively participated in global conversations on climate finance, Article 6, and high-integrity carbon markets. Our teams attended major industry events: including Carbon Forward Asia, Africa Climate Summit, Ecosperity Week, Africa Singapore Business Forum, Aviation Carbon, East African Carbon Market Dialogue, S&P Global Carbon Markets Conference, and the Clean Cooking Alliance forums, working to amplify the voices of the communities we serve.
The Live Well programme was selected by Verra, from thousands of projects, to showcase the impact of carbon finance. This film, shot in Rwanda and launched at New York Climate Week, highlights the importance of clean cooking to rural households and how carbon finance supports this energy access gap. It is stories like this that remind us of the impact of a single cookstove to a household’s wellness.
Our Live Well programme also continued to receive international recognition, with awards and nominations underscoring our leadership in community engagement and large-scale health and environmental impacts. Other highlights this year include joining the Million Lives Collective, a community that brings together change-makers and leaders committed to scaling solutions that improve the lives of those living on less than $5.50 a day and winning the Social Impact category at the World Sustainability Awards 2025.
Momentum for Expansion
With strengthened operations, deeper government partnerships, and a proven ability to deliver on a national scale, DelAgua is now primed for its next chapter. In 2025, we completed scoping for expansion into additional African countries, laying the groundwork for new Live Well programme launches in 2026.
This next phase centers on expanding our mission: increasing access to clean cooking in rural areas, restoring ecosystems, creating employment, and empowering communities across Africa.
None of this would have been possible without the remarkable dedication of our staff across Rwanda, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and the many regions where we work; their commitment is at the heart of DelAgua’s success.
I extend my appreciation to our host governments for their trust and partnership, to our financial and carbon market partners who have supported our programme, and to the communities who welcome us into their homes and inspire our work every day.
As we step into 2026, we do so with renewed ambition, strengthened foundations, and the confidence that DelAgua is poised to deliver its most impactful years yet.
Best wishes for the season and the year ahead.
Neil McDougall
Chairman
Watch our 2025 highlights video below:
