Dear Friend of Livelihoods,

It’s hard to believe that yet another year has gone by! We are so pleased to see 2015 finish on a high note. The outcome of the COP21 in Paris signaled a positive step in the right direction for all of us engaged in the mission to tackle climate change, environmental degradation and rural poverty.

2015 was a very important year for us. Firstly, the COP21 affirmed that Livelihoods’ model of carbon sequestration through ecosystem restoration projects, which has been realized thanks to the gracious efforts, hard work and support of our corporate, institutional and NGO partners, works. This motivates us to continue innovating to increase our impact. Secondly, with the backing of like-minded partners, we launched our second fund this year dedicated to transforming supply chains- the Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming (L3F). Livelihoods 3F will invest 120 million euros in the next 10 years to transform 200,000 farms to sustainable agriculture, benefiting 2 million people across Africa, Asia and Latin America by increasing their productivity, incomes and livelihoods.

We have so much to look forward to in 2016. The Livelihoods Carbon Fund will launch two new projects with formidable NGO partners in the field- an agroforestry, watershed restoration and dairy sourcing project in Mt. Elgon, Kenya with 30,000 smallholder farmers, the NGO VI Agroforestry and Brookside Dairy. In the high mountains of Peru, we will be working with the NGO Instituto Trabajo Y Familia (ITYF) to equip 30,000 local families with improved cookstoves that will help reduce wood consumption and increase the health conditions of the women who traditionally cook over inefficient open fires with high health risks (burns, respiratory illnesses). Regarding L3F, we will launch our pilot project next year and have confirmed the commitment of two new significant partner companies in the fund who will bring their valued expertise on sustainable sourcing and watershed management.

We’ll leave you with a photo- a positive message of hope from the participants of our clean cookstove project in Burkina Faso. Thanks to Livelihoods and all of its partners (in particular the NGO Tiipaalga who is carrying out this incredible project in the field), tens of thousands of rural women are now equipped with efficient stoves in Africa. In this photo, the women are standing proudly beside cookstoves they built themselves using their own hands, local clay and hatched straw.

These stoves will change their lives and those of their families. The stoves will lessen the hard work and time spent collecting firewood, minimize harmful fumes and respiratory illnesses caused by noxious smoke, and help reduce deforestation in a land where trees and natural resources are scarce. And at the same time, contribute to reduce carbon footprint and climate change.

On behalf of these women and the rest of the communities impacted by our funds and our partners, we wish you a Happy New Year 2016! Thank you for the continued support you bring to Livelihoods!

Warm regards,

The Livelihoods Team