View source for Green at Mind

* '''Year Founded:''' 2023
* '''Location:''' Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee areas in Kenya
* '''Energy Solutions and Services:''' Clean cookstove production
* '''Thematic Areas of Focus:''' Renewable and clean energy 
* '''Number of Employees:''' 23
* '''Website:''' http://www.gam-greenatmind.com/
* '''Contact:''' [mailto:info@gam-greenatmind.com info@gam-greenatmind.com]

=== '''Green At Mind’s Impact Story''' ===
In 2020, while wondering about his future living in displacement, Vincent Ubeling Anefwa had conversations with many women living in his community who spent as many as five hours each day collecting firewood in the bush. He was shocked to learn about the risks to which they were exposed, all to be able to cook a decent meal for their household. Some were victims of rape and other forms of violence.  Several were single mothers, and others were girls who were forced to drop out of school to provide for their families, gather firewood and cook for their siblings. 

While UNHCR provides households in Kakuma and Kalobeyei with cash assistance, this support is very limited, and 97% of refugees in the camps cannot afford to buy the clean cookstoves available on the commercial market. Seeking a way to close this gap and reduce the burden of firewood collection on women in his community, Vincent founded Green at Mind (GAM).

GAM produces affordable improved cookstoves that cook food twice as fast as an open fire and reduce fuel consumption by 40%. The stoves are customized and adapted to the different income levels of the refugee households in Kakuma and Kalobeyei. GAM works with local distributors operating across the settlements, making it easy for households to access specific types of stoves from the nearest distributors at an affordable price. The company is also able to offer flexible payment models for its customers. 

While GAM was born from a vision of creating lasting change, it began humbly, with Vincent and other early employees relying on their limited savings and loans from local saving groups to fund their initial operations. As the business began to grow, the team jumped into fundraising for expansion. In its first two years of operations, GAM received grant funding and technical assistance for business development from the Social Innovation Academy (SINA), World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and Kenya Climate Innovation Center.

This support has enabled GAM to equip over 1,450 households with stoves, avoiding 20,590 kg of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, preventing the harvesting of thousands of trees, and generating over KES 5,000,000 in revenue. Over 4,000 households have been positively impacted by clean cooking demonstration initiatives led by GAM which aim to show community members how to use clean cooking sources as well as explain their environmental and health benefits.

Today, the company produces five different stove types and has 23 employees. With the aim of promoting youth employment, the company sets specific targets for recruiting younger employees. Additionally, GAM works with 37 local distributors. They have also created a USSD system in partnership with Adventa Africa and with financial support from Kenya Climate Innovation Center to facilitate easy access to their products for customers using mobile phones with the lowest level of technology[KP5] . The need for clean cooking solutions remains high both in refugee communities in Kenya and beyond, and the company aspires to continue growing and closing this sizeable access gap. 

=== '''Success Factors''' ===
GAM’s team lives in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, and drawing on their knowledge made it possible to better understand the problems faced by the refugee community and develop appropriate solutions. Vincent’s passion for clean energy and dedication to building a network to unlock opportunities were also essential to identifying partners and clearly expressing to them the needs of displaced people. 

Participating in the Humanitarian Energy Conference hosted in Nairobi in October 2025 was an important opportunity to build the company’s network and meet partners interested in helping the company achieve its larger vision. Also that year, the company received support from SNV to expand market access, including marketing materials and logistics in terms of transport of equipment for cooking demonstrations.

=== '''Future Plans and Support Needs''' ===
In the coming 10 years, GAM aims to reach 100,000 households with its a wide range of clean and efficient cooking technologies. To achieve this goal, the company needs to obtain advanced equipment to improve the quality of its products. Proper connections with financial institutions and impact investors will be essential to developing and realising a real market expansion strategy within Kenya more broadly. 

=== '''About the Founder''' ===
Vincent Ubeling Anefwa is passionate about clean cooking and ensuring access to appropriate technologies for low-income households. He left his home in the DRC in 2016 due to ongoing political insecurity and now lives in Kenya. His goal is to ensure communities have long-term access to clean energy solutions that eliminate household air pollution.